North Korea fires possible missile into sea

Seoul: North Korea on Tuesday fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into its eastern sea, its second launch in a week, following leader Kim Jong Un's calls to expand its nuclear weapons program in defiance of international opposition.

The launches follow a series of weapons tests in 2021 that underscored how North Korea is continuing to expand its military capabilities during a self-imposed pandemic lockdown and deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired what likely was a ballistic missile from the area of its northern Jagang province. It said the weapon flew 700 km (434 miles) at a maximum speed of around Mach 10 before landing in waters off its eastern coast.

It said the launch was a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and demonstrated a more advanced capability than North Korea's previous launch last week.

The North's state media described that launch as a successful test of a hypersonic missile, a type of weaponry it claimed to have first tested in September.

South Korean officials didn't provide a specific assessment of the missile type.