The missile was launched from the Sinpo area of North Korea’s east coast at 2:07 p.m. local time, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea.

At 2:25 p.m. local time, the Japanese coast guard confirmed the missile had fallen into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korean and US intelligence authorities are assessing the launch, and the South Korean military is maintaining a state of readiness.

The launch on Saturday comes only days after North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test on Wednesday.

This year, North Korea has increased its missile testing.

Saturday’s launch is the country’s 14th in 2022, including one that is thought to have failed in mid-March.

In comparison, only four tests were undertaken in 2020 and eight in 2021.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to accelerate the development of nuclear weapons at the “highest possible” speed during a military parade on April 25. Experts say the parade, together with Kim’s bluster and flurry of launches, provide a look into his nuclear ambitions, particularly efforts to produce solid-fueled missiles that are simpler to conceal from Western spy agencies.

“Instead of accepting invitations to dialogue, the Kim regime appears to be preparing a tactical nuclear warhead test. The timing will depend most on when the underground tunnels and modified device technology are ready,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

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Kim declared the country would “strengthen and build” its nuclear forces at the “fastest possible” rate as a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, numerous huge rocket launchers, and a submarine-launched ballistic missile was paraded through the streets of Pyongyang.

Any country or force that tried to confront North Korea militarily would “cease to exist,” Kim said as he described his nuclear forces as both a “symbol of national power and the basis of our military power.”

“True peace can be trusted and national dignity and national sovereignty can be guaranteed by the powerful self-defense force that can overcome the enemy,” Kim said in a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

He said his nuclear force’s first mission was “to deter war,” but if anyone tried to “to take away the fundamental interests of our country, our nuclear force will have no choice but to carry out its second mission.” He did not elaborate on what that second mission would be.

North Korea claims to have successfully tested the missile in March, with a report in its state media at the time describing the launch as a “powerful nuclear war deterrent” and quoting Kim as saying the country was “fully ready” for any potential military confrontation with the United States.

The ICBM could, at least theoretically, put the entire US mainland in range of a North Korean nuclear warhead, but analysts say there are questions over whether the missile can deliver a nuclear payload on target.

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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missiles flew about 110 kilometers at an altitude of 25 kilometers with a maximum speed of Mach 4.0 or lower.

North Korean state media KCNA reported Kim watched the firing of a “new-type tactical guided weapon,” which was “carried out successfully.” They also said that the missiles increased the country’s “frontline long-range artillery units,” and increased efficiency “in the operation of tactical nukes of (North Korea) and diversification of their firepower missions.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in received real-time reports and ordered government ministries to inspect North Korea’s movements.

“We are aware of the North Korean statement that they conducted a test of a long-range artillery system. We analyze all activities in close coordination with our allies and partners,” said a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense in a statement, adding that the US is “very clear on our commitment to the defense of (South Korea), Japan, and the US homeland.”

“These types of missiles are especially threatening to South Korea and Japan and they’re weapons that can be used in or even start a conflict,” spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said.

There were previous tests carried out this year in defiance of the international laws against nuclear weapons. The weapons tested earlier today were intercontinental ballistic missiles. This is considered one of the strongest weapons a country can have.

This is concerning for neighboring countries that at the moment do not have a nuclear weapon arsenal. Countries with nuclear weapons include Russia, the US (NATO), India, Pakistan, and North Korea.

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According to the Pentagon, they were “likely to evaluate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch.” These launches are testing a new system that was unveiled during the Korean Workers Party parade in October 2020.

“The United States strongly condemns these launches, which are a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.

He also added that “the United States is revealing this information publicly and sharing it with other allies and partners because we believe that the international community must speak in a united voice to oppose the further development and proliferation of such weapons by the DPRK.”

The assessment was made in cooperation with South Korea and Japan. President Joe Biden remains open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The US Indo-Pacific Command announced that they have “ordered intensified Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance collection activities in the Yellow Sea, as well as enhanced readiness among our ballistic missile defense forces in the region.”

Department of Treasury is expected to announce “new actions to help prevent the DPRK from accessing foreign items and technology that enable it to advance prohibited weapons programs,” the official said, adding that “there will be a range of further actions in the coming days.”

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The missile was launched from North Korea’s Sunan region at roughly 7.52 a.m. local time, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

North Korea launched “at least one ballistic missile,” according to Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, which traveled 300 kilometers (186 miles) and reached a maximum height of 600 kilometers (373 miles).

Pyongyang hasn’t fired a missile since January 30 local time, when it claimed to have launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), its longest-range missile since 2017. According to Japan’s assessments, Sunday’s test was of a missile with a lesser range than that test.

According to the Blue House, the South Korean presidential office, South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) stated the launch was “undesirable” for peace stabilization as the world tries to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

The North Korean missile test was also met with “deep worry and profound sorrow” by the NSC, which urged the North to “immediately cease activities opposed to peaceful settlement via negotiation.”

The latest launch comes fewer than two weeks before the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, in which North Korea is expected to be a major campaign issue. Analysts predict conservative contender Yoon Suk Yeol, if elected, to adopt a far tougher stance towards the North than incumbent President Moon Jae-in.

According to official media, North Korea has increased its missile testing in 2022, citing plans to reinforce its defenses against the US and examine “restarting all temporally paused activity.”

North Korea conducted seven missile tests in the first four weeks of 2022, none of which were long-range missiles.

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