(LEAD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

▲ This file photo, released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on April 14, 2023, shows a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile being fired. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-missile launch

(LEAD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

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SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, amid tensions caused by the reclusive regime's accusations against U.S. spy aircraft operations earlier this week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch. It did not elaborate pending an analysis.

The North's last missile launch took place on June 15.

On Monday and Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued sharp-tongued statements claiming that U.S. military spy aircraft "intruded" into the area over the North's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Kim warned that the North will take "clear and resolute" actions against U.S. surveillance flights within the North's "economic water zone," claiming a "shocking" incident could occur.

The South Korean military has dismissed Kim's remarks, saying freedom of navigation and overflight are ensured in the EEZ.

The latest launch came as President Yoon Suk Yeol is visiting Lithuania to take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit this week, where he is expected to discuss security cooperation against North Korea's military threats with other leaders.

It also comes after North Korea's failed launch of a space rocket carrying its first military reconnaissance satellite in late May. The rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea after an abnormal starting of the second-stage engine, according to the North's state media.

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