North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile early Friday, amid protests from Pyongyang against joint military drills by US and South Korean forces, dpa cited military officials in Seoul as saying. One missile was fired at 5:55 am (2055 GMT) from the west of the country, and travelled around 800 kilometres across North Korean territory before landing in the sea off its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Around 22 minutes after the launch, radar signals picked up by the South Korean military indicated a likely second missile launched from the same location, Yonhap said. That signal was lost shortly afterwards and the second missile may have exploded in flight, the report said. "An analysis so far indicates it was a missile, but more examination is needed to verify the data," it quoted the JCS as saying. The missiles were thought to be of the Rodong model, which has a range of 1,300 kilometres and can reach all of South Korea and some of Japan, the report said. The missile that reached the sea "dropped into waters within the Japanese Air Defense Identification Zone," or ADIZ, the JCS said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the country "categorically condemns" the launch, and "will closely cooperate with the international community to deal resolutely" with it.
