<p>North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday, the South Korean military said.</p>.<p>The move comes not even 24 hours after North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday.</p>.<p>The short-range ballistic missile was fired around 2:50 am local time (1750 GMT) from around the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.</p>.<p>The missile flew for about 400 kilometres (249 miles) before landing in the sea, <em>Yonhap</em> news agency said, citing the military.</p>.<p>US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that though the launch did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to Washington's allies, it highlighted the destabilising impact of North Korea's weapons programme.</p>.<p>Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada has protested North Korea over the launch, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.</p>.<p>The launch follows an unprecedented number of missile tests conducted by North Korea in 2022, as Pyongyang presses on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for the seventh time.</p>.<p>In 2022, the North also resumed testing intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time since 2017, successfully launching the massive new Hwasong-17, which is believed to have the range to strike anywhere in the United States.</p>.<p>North Korean state media KCNA said on Saturday that its central party had engaged in the fifth day of a plenary session on Friday to solidify strategy, with the session expected to continue, making it the longest ever according to <em>Yonhap</em>. The results of the session could be known as early as Sunday.</p>
<p>North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday, the South Korean military said.</p>.<p>The move comes not even 24 hours after North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday.</p>.<p>The short-range ballistic missile was fired around 2:50 am local time (1750 GMT) from around the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.</p>.<p>The missile flew for about 400 kilometres (249 miles) before landing in the sea, <em>Yonhap</em> news agency said, citing the military.</p>.<p>US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that though the launch did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to Washington's allies, it highlighted the destabilising impact of North Korea's weapons programme.</p>.<p>Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada has protested North Korea over the launch, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.</p>.<p>The launch follows an unprecedented number of missile tests conducted by North Korea in 2022, as Pyongyang presses on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for the seventh time.</p>.<p>In 2022, the North also resumed testing intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time since 2017, successfully launching the massive new Hwasong-17, which is believed to have the range to strike anywhere in the United States.</p>.<p>North Korean state media KCNA said on Saturday that its central party had engaged in the fifth day of a plenary session on Friday to solidify strategy, with the session expected to continue, making it the longest ever according to <em>Yonhap</em>. The results of the session could be known as early as Sunday.</p>