North Korea launched a ballistic missile off its eastern coast today, the second such test in about a week and just days after Pyongyang accused the United States of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military exercises.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that it detected the test launch from the Wonsan area at around 3pm local time (9am Greek time), identifying the weapon as a ballistic missile. Japan’s Ministry of Defence also said it appeared to be a ballistic missile. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that it fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s National Security Council condemned the launch of a short-range missile, which followed a test on 12 September. The Council called on Pyongyang to “stop the missile launches immediately”, describing the latest action as a “serious act” that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The launch came as North Korea rejected yesterday a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against its nuclear programme.

Last week, Pyongyang also condemned US-led naval exercises involving South Korea and Japan, which took place from 29 August to 10 September near Guam.