DPRK fires unidentified ballistic missile off east coast: S.Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired an unidentified ballistic missile off its east coast Wednesday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The South Korean military spotted the unidentified ballistic missile, which was launched from the waters northeast of the DPRK's eastern coastal town of Wonsan in the eastern direction at about 7:11 a.m. local time, the JCS said in a statement.

It was estimated to have been a Pukkuksong type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the JCS said.

The missile flew about 450 km at a maximum flying altitude of around 910 km. The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States were precisely analyzing its further details.

The JCS said the South Korean military was monitoring relevant situation in case of additional firings and maintaining readiness posture.

It urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts that are of no help for efforts to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Chung Eui-yong, top national security advisor for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, chaired an emergency video conference of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee members, according to the presidential Blue House.

The NSC decided to precisely analyze the DPRK projectile via close cooperation between the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States, with a possibility being in mind that the DPRK might have test-fired an SLBM.

The NSC expressed strong concerns over the DPRK's missile test-firing, which came ahead of the resumption of the denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's first vice foreign minister, said in a statement on Tuesday that Pyongyang and Washington agreed to have preliminary contact Friday and working-level negotiations the following day.

The NSC decided to make diplomatic efforts with the international community, including the United States, for the success of the DPRK-U.S. negotiations that can lead to a substantive progress in the complete denuclearization of and the permanent peace settlement in the Korean Peninsula, according to the Blue House.