North Korea launches a missile from an underwater platform one day after accepting resumption of dialogue with the US

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Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea.

(CNN) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from an underwater launch pad, a US official told CNN, a day after Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume nuclear talks.

The United States assessed that the missile was not fired from a submarine, although the tested missile is designed to function as a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), said the US official, who was familiar with the situation.

The missile was launched into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, on Wednesday morning, the South Korean Army said. While North Korea had previously launched from an underwater platform, it is the first time it has done so since the start of talks with US President Donald Trump.

"Currently, our forces maintain a preparedness posture while watching related movements in preparation against additional launches," the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff said on Wednesday in a statement.

South Korea said it was analyzing the incident "with emphasis on the possibility that the launch of North Korea today is a test of an SLBM," said a statement from the Blue House, the presidential office in South Korea.

The missile was launched from near Wonsan, a city in Kangwon Province on the east coast of North Korea and flew over a distance of 450 kilometers before landing in waters off Japan. It reached an altitude of 910 kilometers and is presumed to be a Pukkuksong missile, according to the JCS statement.

Japan said Wednesday that North Korea launched a ballistic missile that split into two pieces after launch. One of the pieces arrived in its Exclusive Economic Zone in front of Shimane Prefecture at 7:26 am local time, according to the chief secretary of the Japanese cabinet, Yoshihide Suga. No damage has been reported so far.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, told reporters that the launch of a ballistic missile violated the United Nations resolution and that Japan "would present severe protests against him and condemn such actions."

ballistic missile