North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan. It is the latest test by the rogue regime, which has tested patience in Washington.
North Korea fired a missile into the Sea of Japan from a northern province near the border with China, South Korea's military said on Tuesday.
"North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea from the vicinity of Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, at around 9:40 a.m. (0040 UTC)," the news agency Yonhap quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying. The missile flew 930 kilometers (578 miles).
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who held a national security council meeting, said the missile was thought to be an intermediate range type. However, he said the military was also investigating the possibility it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The launch is the latest in a series of missile tests in recent months by the nuclear-armed rogue regime that have raised the prospect of military conflict with the United States.
Japan's defense ministry said the missile may have landed in its exclusive economic zone -- an area extending 200 nautical miles from the coast. An initial US military assessment indicated North Korea fired an intermediate range ballistic missile.
President Moon and US President Donald Trump met last week for the first time, focusing much of their discussions on how to deal with North Korea. Trump tweeted his response to the latest launch, saying he found it "hard to believe" South Korea and Japan would tolerate the situation for much longer.
Moon advocates for engagement with the North but also sanctions. Pyongyang's continued missile tests have threatened that policy.
Trump has sought to enlist China, North Korea's main economic partner, to turn the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs, which aim to put a warhead on a ballistic missile capable of striking the United States.
However, he has recently shown frustration with China's inability or unwillingness to rein in Pyongyang, suggesting the era of "strategic patience” was coming to an end.
The United Nations Security Council has placed multiple rounds of sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as for its horrendous human rights record.
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