The rocket was launched at 6:53 a.m. Sunday morning in the Taechon area of ​​North Pyongan province, according to information held by the South Korean General Staff.

The rocket flew east about 600 kilometers at an altitude of about 60 kilometers above the earth’s surface. The top speed is around mach 5, which equates to more than 6,000 kilometers per hour, according to South Korea.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile fell into the sea outside Japan’s economic zone.

– The repeated launches of ballistic missiles from North Korea are completely unforgivable, and the country’s tremendous improvement in missile technology is something we cannot ignore, Hamada said.

US visit

Sunday’s launch came a day after South Korean authorities said they had seen signs North Korea was reportedly preparing for another test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

On Friday, the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan. The ship will take part in military exercises off the country’s east coast later this month. Next week, US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit South Korea.

Violation of UN resolutions

UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests. Rockets of this type can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

North Korea has tested nuclear weapons six times since 2006.

South Korean and American officials have warned for several months that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preparing to carry out a new nuclear test.