North Korea launches ballistic missile off east coast, Japan says

North Korea has launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off the east coast of the peninsula, Japan ’s defence ministry has said, amid an escalation in weapons testing.

South Korea confirmed the “rival North” had fired the “unidentified projectile” from near the coastal area of Wonsan on Sunday as Japanese public broadcaster NHK said it had come down outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s presidential office convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Sunday following the reports.

The launch is the second in the space of a week and comes as North Korea ramps up its weapons tests in the peninsula. This is despite diplomatic efforts from US president Donald Trump, who recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

Following a ‌previous test on 12 September, the NSC urged Pyongyang to immediately cease ⁠missile activity, warning that the test directly violates United Nations ‌Security Council ​resolutions.

A day ​earlier, ⁠North Korea dismissed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang's nuclear programme, ⁠in a statement read out on state media. Pyongyang ​last ⁠week also condemned a ‌US-led naval drill which included South Korea and Japan and which ran from 29 August to 10 September near Guam.

North Korea's Kim ‌Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, on Friday blamed US-led military drills for "ever-worsening" tensions on ⁠the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country's course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.

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