South Korea said on Sunday that North Korea has test-fired a missile from a submarine, The Associated Press reported.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the North Korean missile launch from a submarine in the waters near the North's eastern port city of Sinpo.
South Korean and US intelligence authorities were analyzing details of the launch, according to South Korean authorities.
The launch comes one day before the US and South Korea start large joint military exercises which have angered North Korea.
On Saturday, North Korea decided to take important, practical war deterrence measures. The decision was made at a ruling party meeting presided over by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
On Thursday, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile, in Pyongyang's latest show of force before the South Korea-US military exercises.
Kim was on the ground to witness "a powerful volley" by an artillery unit "ready to respond to actual war".
The North has upped the volume of its ballistic missile tests in recent months. The country tested dozens of ballistic weapons in 2022, including its first intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017.
In mid-February, North Korea tested a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “surprise launching drill” under the written orders of leader Kim Jong Un.
Days later, it test-fired four strategic cruise missiles during a drill designed to demonstrate its ability to conduct a nuclear counterattack against hostile forces.