N Korea launches ballistic missile as S Korea, US plan military drills

Pyongyang conducts second weapons test in less than a week as Seoul, Washington gear up for annual military exercises.North Korea has launched a ballistic missile towards the Japan" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="19667" data-entity-type="location">Sea of Japan, according to Seoul and Tokyo, marking the second such test from Pyongyang in less than a week.The launch on Wednesday came as South Korea and the United States announced plans to hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills starting on August 17.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4North Korea commissions largest-ever warshiplist 2 of 4North Korea conducts major weapons tests; South training ‘drone warriors’list 3 of 4North Korea’s Kim hails ‘unshakeable will’ to develop ties with China’s Xilist 4 of 4What is Japan’s new intelligence agency, and why is Tokyo building it?end of list“Our military detected at around 6:00 am [21:00 GMT Tuesday] a ballistic missile launched by North Korea from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters, referring to a body of water also known as the Japan" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="19667" data-entity-type="location">Sea of Japan.South Korea’s military said the missile flew more than 700km (435 miles).It said it has boosted its surveillance posture and that it was closely exchanging information on the launch with Washington and Tokyo.Japan’s Defence Ministry said on social media that the suspected ballistic missile had “already fallen”, without providing further details.“North Korea has never simply let a South Korea-US joint military exercise pass without a response,” Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told the AFP news agency.“This is a message that Pyongyang is closely watching the upcoming drills and could stage a provocation if it deems one necessary.”US-South Korea drillsThe Ulchi Freedom Shield training is to start on Monday and run for 11 days. Its scale will be similar to previous years, with 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part, according to South Korea’s military.