North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile into East Coast Waters, Says South Korea's Joint Chief

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have reported that North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula. Similarly, Japan’s Coast Guard, citing information from the Ministry of Defense, announced that a projectile, believed to be a ballistic missile, was launched by North Korea and flew about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) before landing in the sea.

A missile was launched from the Pyongyang area around 2:55 p.m. local time on Sunday and was believed to be intermediate in range said JCS. The South Korean, US, and Japanese militaries are collaborating to analyze more information about the missile, the JCS said. The South Korean military is staying ready and sharing info with the US and Japan.

Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called South Korea "our main enemy" and threatened annihilation if provoked. Experts believe Kim may increase tensions by conducting more missile tests to raise the stakes in the ongoing standoff with rivals. This could potentially affect the results of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November.