North Korea launches ballistic missile off its east coast, South Korea says

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the North's eastern waters Monday, the South Korean military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch took place Monday morning, but gave no other details, including how far the weapon traveled.

The launch came two days after South Korea, the United States and Japan ended their new trilateral multi-domain exercises that North Korea calls a provocation.

It was the North’s first weapons launch in five days. Last Wednesday, North Korea fired what it called a multiple-warhead missile in the first known launch of an advanced weapon designed to defeat U.S. and South Korean missile defenses. North Korea said the launch was successful, but South Korea dismissed the claim as a deception intended to cover up a failed launch.

The “Freedom Edge” exercise hosted by South Korea, the United States and Japan involved a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyers, fighter jets and helicopters from the three countries. The training included missile defense, anti-submarine warfare and maritime interdiction exercises.

In recent weeks, North Korea has launched numerous balloons carrying trash toward South Korea, in what it has described as a “tit-for-tat” response to South Korean activists who have been sending political leaflets via their own balloons.