N. Korea fires 1 ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, in the recalcitrant regime's latest saber-rattling that comes less than a week before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 12:03 p.m. Other details were not immediately available, Yonhap news agency reported.

"Our military is tracking and monitoring related movements and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS added in a text message sent to reporters.

The latest launch marks the North's 14th show of force this year. It came after the North test-fired what it claimed to be a tactical guided weapon on April 16.

Concerns have persisted that the North could continue to carry out provocations, such as another intercontinental ballistic missile or a nuclear test.