North Korea fired a ballistic missile again on Sunday, as a US aircraft carrier is in South Korea for exercises and days before US Vice President Kamala Harris visits Seoul. .
North Korea has been engaged in a record series of weapons tests for several months, while negotiations with the international community on its nuclear and missile program have stalled.
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Pyongyang notably launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017 in May, and adopted a new doctrine in early September proclaiming that the country will never give up atomic weapons.
The South Korean military "
detected a short-range missile launched by North Korea at 6:53 a.m. local time from the vicinity of Taechon, North Pyongan Province, towards the East
Sea" (Sea of Japan), the general staff said in a statement.
The projectile traveled about 600 km at a maximum altitude of 60 km and at the speed of Mach 5 (about 6,000 km / h), said the staff.
The Japanese Coast Guard has issued a warning to ships in the area where the missile fell.
According to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, the projectile ended its course outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
"
Japan will continue to work on strengthening its defense capabilities by exploring several options, including acquiring response capabilities
," Hamada told reporters.
Pyongyang's repeated launches are "
absolutely unforgivable and the remarkable improvement in its missile technology is something we cannot ignore
", he added.
On Friday, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its accompanying flotilla arrived in the major port of Busan in southern South Korea.
He must participate in the coming days in joint exercises with the South Korean army off the eastern coast of the country.
Visiting Kamala Harris
This presence responds to the will of Seoul and Washington to increase the American presence in the region.
Conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, has promised to strengthen military cooperation with the United States, after his predecessor's failed attempts at diplomatic rapprochement with the North.
Yoon is also due to receive US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in Seoul.
Washington is Seoul's main security ally, and has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.
The two countries have long conducted joint exercises.
They insist on their purely defensive character, but North Korea regards them as dress rehearsals for a future invasion of its territory.