North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea resuming weapons program

South Korea's military said in a statement that North Korea launched what appeared to be a long-range ballistic missile.

North Korea fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile into the sea on Monday in a resumption of its weapons testing activities, its neighbors said, as the North vows retaliatory steps against U.S. and South Korean moves to boost their nuclear deterrence plans.

South Korea's military said in a statement that North Korea launched what appeared to be a long-range ballistic missile from its capital region Monday morning. It said South Korea maintained readiness while exchanging information about the launch with U.S. and Japanese authorities.

Japan's Defense Ministry said it also spotted the ballistic missile launch by North Korea. A ministry statement said that the missile was still in flight and that it was expected to land in the waters outside the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he had, so far, received no reports of injuries or damage from the missile launch and that he planned to hold a National Security Council meeting to discuss the test.

The launch came hours after South Korea reported that North Korea conducted a short-range ballistic missile test into the sea on Sunday night. It was the North's first weapons launch in about a month.