North Korea fires missile ahead of major US-South Korea drills

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the ‌Korean Peninsula's east coast, Reuters reported citing South Korean and Japanese authorities, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.

The missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast at around 6 a.m. (2100 GMT Tuesday), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, six days after North Korea fired another ballistic missile from ​the same area.

The launch comes ahead of South Korean and U.S. military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, scheduled for August 17 to 27.

South Korean authorities said North Korea also fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan on August 6, but Pyongyang did not report that launch in state media.