North Korea fires ballistic missile into East Sea, first launch in 42 days

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said.

"North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area at around 5 p.m. Thursday," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "The military has stepped up surveillance and heightened its alert against the possibility of additional launches."

The JCS added that South Korea, the United States and Japan are closely sharing information related to North Korea's ballistic missile launch while remaining fully prepared.

The launch marked North Korea's first ballistic missile provocation in 42 days, since June 25.

It also came ahead of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, a large-scale South Korea-U.S. joint military drill expected to take place later this month.

At the June 25 launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw test launches of tactical weapons, including tactical ballistic missiles and extended-range 155-millimeter self-propelled artillery shells.

North Korea also test-fired a strategic cruise missile from its new 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon, on July 3.

Updated, Aug. 6: Updated comments from the Joint Chiefs of Staffs and information regarding the latest launch.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]