North Korea has fired a projectile towards the sea, South Korea and Japan say, with Tokyo saying it might have been a ballistic missile, while the US and South Korea conduct military drills.
The projectile was fired towards the sea off North Korea’s east coast on Saturday, the South Korean military said in a brief message to reporters.
Japan’s coast guard said the projectile appeared to have fallen into the sea.
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It appeared to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday, citing defence ministry sources.
Seoul and Washington five days earlier launched the major drills, which they say are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea.
Nuclear-armed North Korea frequently displays its anger and objections to such exercises, saying they are “dress rehearsals” for armed aggression against it by the allies.
On Thursday, South Korea’s prime minister met US President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with the North, which has been suspended since 2019.
