North Korea fires ballistic missile

The U.S. and South Korea on Wednesday said that North Korea conducted a ballistic missile firing from its western region.

The launch is the latest in the series of missile launches conducted by Pyongyang despite being under the strictest UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that today's launch was from a region in South Hwanghae province to the south-west of Pyongyang, reports the Guardian.

The U.S. military also said that it detected the simultaneous launch of two intermediate range ballistic missiles.

The U.S. Strategic Command in a statement said that one missile exploded immediately after launch while the second one was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea had on July 19 fired three ballistic missiles that flew 300-360 miles (500-600km) into the sea off its east coast.

It later said that the launches were part of an exercise simulating preemptive strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the U.S. military.

Pyongyang has increased its launches following the agreement between Seoul and Washington to deploy an advanced missile defence system known as Thaad in the South in July.