[Source: Reuters]

North Korea fired a ​ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the Korean peninsula’s east coast, South Korean and Japanese authorities said, days ahead of major ‌joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.

The missile was launched from the North’s Wonsan area at about 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Tuesday), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, six days after North Korea fired another ballistic missile from the same area.

The launch came ahead of South Korean and U.S. military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, set to run from August 17 to ​August 27, aimed at countering Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear and weapons capabilities.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, ​said the launch was likely part of North Korea’s existing weapons development schedule, but the timing could also have been selected ⁠to send a message ahead of the exercises.

“Even if it was a test of a weapon under development, choosing when to conduct it requires a political decision,” ​Hong said.

There was no immediate statement from North Korea on the Wonsan launch, but Pyongyang on Wednesday afternoon criticised the nuclear ambitions of South Korea and Japan.

South Korea ​said North Korea also fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan on August 6, but Pyongyang did not report that launch in state media.

Hong said that test may have failed to achieve its intended objective.

North Korea’s series of tests this year has featured short-range ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and other tactical weapons.

Wednesday’s launch was its 11th suspected ballistic missile test in 2026, according to ​South Korean assessments.

South Korean and Japanese defence authorities said the missile flew about 700 km (435 miles).

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not identify it as a short-range ​ballistic missile, saying authorities would conduct a detailed analysis.

The omission leaves open the question of what type of missile it was, analysts said. Ballistic missiles with ranges of 300 km to ‌1,000 km (186 ⁠miles to 620 miles) are generally classified as short-range.