North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile toward East Sea

SEOUL — North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Sunday, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities.South Korea’s military said Pyongyang launched at least one projectile toward the sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, Yonhap News Agency reported.The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch was detected at around 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) from the Wonsan area.The missile flew about 450 kilometers (279 miles), with authorities conducting further analysis to determine its exact specifications and other details.South Korean and US intelligence authorities tracked the launch from its initial stage and shared related information, while South Korea also exchanged missile data with Japan, the military said.“We are closely monitoring North Korea’s various activities and maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations under the staunch South Korea-US combined defense posture,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Japan said the projectile was believed to have fallen outside its exclusive economic zone, according to Kyodo News.The launch came after Pyongyang last week condemned a US-led naval exercise involving South Korea and Japan. The drills were held near Guam from Aug. 29 to Sept. 10.