North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday, Seoul's military claimed prompting Japan to briefly issue a seek shelter warning to residents of the northern Hokkaido region, reports AFP.
South Korea's military said it had "detected one ballistic missile with a medium range or longer fired from the Pyongyang area at 0723 (1023 GMT)".
The missile was fired on a lofted trajectory -- meaning up rather than out, typically done to avoid overflying neighbouring countries -- and "flew 1,000 km (621 miles) before landing in the East Sea," the military said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
"South Korean and the US intelligence are analysing the specifics," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding they were "maintaining utmost readiness through close coordination with the United States."
Japanese officials earlier confirmed the missile had not fallen within the country's territory and posed no threat to residents.
Climate and environment ministers from the Group of Seven are due to meet this weekend in Sapporo, Hokkaido's regional capital, a month before the group holds its summit in Hiroshima.
The launch is the latest in a string of banned weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang, which has already fired several of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles this year.
It has also tested what its state media has claimed are nuclear-capable underwater drones -- known as Haeil, or tsunami in Korean -- which it says are capable of unleashing a "radioactive tsunami".
On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the Central Military Commission to discuss ways to "cope with the escalating moves of the US imperialists and the south Korean puppet traitors to unleash a war of aggression", Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency said.
Kim ordered that the country's deterrence capabilities be strengthened with "increasing speed" and in a "more practical and offensive" manner.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
