North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile, South Korea says

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile on Thursday towards the sea off the peninsula's eastern coast, South Korea's military said, the first such launch in more than 40 days after a series of weapons tests earlier this year.

The launch comes ahead of joint South Korean-US military drills expected this month.

Washington and Seoul say the exercises strengthen their defence capabilities and deterrence against North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Pyongyang regularly denounces them as preparations for an invasion.

The South Korean military said it detected the missile launched from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area around 5 p.m. (0800 GMT).

South Korea's presidential office said it held an emergency security meeting, and condemned the launch as a provocative act that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The US military in a statement said it was aware of the missile launch and was consulting closely with partners.

"Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the US homeland and our allies in the region," US Pacific Command said in a statement.

The missile test could be related to recent criticism by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, of Japan's firing of Tomahawk missiles, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

North Korea has launched a series of tests this year, including short-range ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and other tactical weapons.

The most recent confirmed weapons test, in late June, involved an upgraded 240-mm multiple-launch rocket system, tactical ballistic missiles and a 155-mm self-propelled howitzer, North Korean state media KCNA said.

The South Korean military said that it had heightened its alert for further firings, and was sharing information with the United States and Japan.

Japan's government also said on Thursday Pyongyang had launched what could be a ballistic missile.