“The South Korean military maintains a standby position by monitoring related movements in preparation for additional launches,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The rocket was fired from the Sunan area near the capital Pyongyang, the statement said.
The Japanese Coast Guard warned its ships that “a possible ballistic missile (s) has been launched from North Korea.”
“We advise ships to pay attention to additional information and, if they notice any falling objects, not to approach or report the relevant information to the Japanese Coast Guard,” the statement said.
South Korea’s National Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Saturday morning, a statement from the South Korean presidential office said.
International tensions are rising over a recent series of North Korean ballistic missile tests, an action long banned by the UN Security Council.
This marks North Korea’s ninth missile test in 2022. A record number of such tests were observed in January, with at least seven launches a month, including a new type of “hypersonic missile” capable of maneuvering at high speed.
Analysts suggest that increased tests this year show that Kim is both striving to achieve domestic goals and showing the increasingly turbulent world that Pyongyang remains a player in the struggle for power and influence.
Saturday’s start comes just days before South Korea’s March 9 presidential election, in which North Korea is likely to be a key election issue.