North Korea defies threats of sanctions, fires ballistic missile

North Korea appears to have launched a ballistic missile from a province north of the capital Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing the South Korean military.

Military leaders from the South said North Korea “fired an unidentified projectile” from a site in South Pyongan province which flew about 500 kilometres, according to the report.

Japan was quick to condemn the latest rocket launch, with a government spokesman in Tokyo saying that the missile had landed in the Sea of Japan but did not reach Japanese territorial waters.

The report follows a ballistic missile test by North Korea that took place last Sunday. That missile also landed in the Sea of Japan and prompted renewed international outcry against the reclusive dictatorship.

According to Yonhap, South Korean President Moon Jae In has called an emergency meeting of the national security council in response to the latest launch.

Sunday marks the second time Moon’s leadership has been tested by missile launches from the North since he took office less than two weeks ago.

The South Korean military’s joint chiefs of staff said the projectile was unlikely an intercontinental-range ballistic missile, Yonhap reported, amid concerns that Korth Korea may be developing a new type of weapon.