North Korea fires a missile as the U.S. and South Korea prepare for military exercises

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbors, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.

According to the South Korean and Japanese militaries, the missile was fired on a high angle, apparently to avoid reaching the neighbors' territories, and traveled about 900 kilometers (560 miles) at a maximum altitude of 5,700 kilometers (3,500 miles) during an hourlong flight.