North Korea has fired a ballistic missile off its east coast, according to South Korea’s military.
"The North has launched an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea," the military said, referring to waters also known as the Sea of Japan.
Japan’s defence ministry also said it detected a possible ballistic missile, which it said landed in an unspecified location at around 8:08 am local time.
North Korea last carried out a ballistic missile test in November, following US President Donald Trump’s approval of South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
Pyongyang has significantly stepped up missile testing in recent years.
The launch comes ahead of a landmark congress of North Korea’s ruling party, expected to take place in the coming weeks.
It will be the first such congress in five years, with economic policy and defence planning expected to feature prominently.
In preparation for the meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the expansion and modernisation of the country’s missile production and the construction of additional factories to meet what Pyongyang describes as growing demand.
State media reported on Sunday that Kim visited a facility involved in the production of tactical guided weapons.
During the visit, he ordered an expansion of current production capacity by 250 percent, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
