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.

Full report : North Korea on Wednesday performed its second ballistic missile test in less than a week.