North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, the South Korean military said Sunday.
"North Korea fired one or more unspecified ballistic missiles into the East Sea," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the Sea of Japan.
The missile launch came the day after a senior US envoy left South Korea.
US Special Representative Sung Kim met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Funakoshi Takehiro, in Seoul on Friday to prepare for "all emergencies" amid signs North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.
Although North Korea is facing a severe wave of COVID-19, new satellite images show that Pyongyang has resumed building a long-dormant nuclear reactor.
In the past few weeks, North Korea has conducted several missile tests, including the launch of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
Pyongyang has stepped up efforts to improve its weapons program this year despite severe economic sanctions. The United States and South Korea have been warning for weeks that Kim Jong-un's regime may conduct a seventh nuclear test.
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