North Korea launches ballistic missile ahead of US-South Korea military exercises

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into waters off the Korean Peninsula's eastern coast on Wednesday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, days before major military exercises between Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast at about 6 a.m. local time. The weapon travelled approximately 700 kilometres before falling into the sea.

Japan's Defence Ministry said the missile reached a maximum altitude of around 90 kilometres and landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels and condemned the launch.

South Korea's Office of National Security held an emergency meeting following the latest test and expressed concern over Pyongyang's continued ballistic missile launches. Officials also urged North Korea to stop what Seoul described as provocations that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.

South Korea's military said it remained prepared to respond decisively to any further provocation under its joint defence posture with the United States.

North Korea had not issued an immediate public response to the launch.

The missile test comes less than a week after another North Korean launch on August 6 and ahead of the annual US-South Korea joint military exercises scheduled to take place from August 17 to 27.

The drills are designed to strengthen the allies' ability to respond to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities. Pyongyang has long viewed the exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has regularly responded with weapons tests and threats.

Tensions have also increased over Japan's expanding defence capabilities. North Korean state media on Tuesday criticised Japan's latest defence white paper, accusing Tokyo of reviving militarism and using what it called an unfounded portrayal of North Korea as a security threat to justify increased military spending.

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

The country's military cooperation with Russia has also attracted international attention. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile during an attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday that killed seven workers at a steel plant.

The latest launch is expected to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula as South Korea and the United States prepare to begin their major joint military exercises next week.