North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’ eastward, says South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a photo session with troops

(Picture: AP)

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, Japanese and South Korean officials said.

The launch comes just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal “at the fastest possible pace” amid mounting tensions with Seoul.

It also comes just days before South Korea’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol takes office for a single five-year term. He has previously called for boosting military deterrence, including by strengthening ties with the United States.

In a statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the missile had been fired from the North's capital region on Tuesday and flew to the waters off its eastern coast.

Japan’s defence ministry said North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile without providing further details. Vessels travelling off Japanese coasts were urged to stay away from any possible fragments.

Last week, Mr Kim pledged to speed up the development of his country's nuclear arsenal while overseeing a huge military parade.

Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles take part in a nighttime military parade (via REUTERS)

He warned that Pyongyang would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if its national interests were threatened.

His sister Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in Pyongyang’s government, warned last month that the North would “eliminate” South Korea if they launched a pre-emptive strike.

She said the South would face an “unimaginably terrible disaster” if it violated “an inch” of North Korean territory.

Pyongyang has been slowly rebuilding its military arsenal following the breakdown of denuclearisation talks with Donald Trump’s administration in 2019.

There are also signs that the North is preparing for a nuclear test at its remote north-eastern testing facility.

If made, the atomic bomb test explosion by North Korea would be the seventh of its kind and the first since 2017.

In response to growing threats, the US has demanded further sanctions on the country at the United Nations Security Council.

The US circulated a draft resolution to the council last month that proposed a ban on tobacco and halving of oil exports to North Korea, with the council’s 15 members asked to vote in May.

“It is our plan to move forward with that resolution during this month,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Tuesday.