North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern sea on Saturday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, in its second launch this week, apparently continuing a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations that may culminate with a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately say what kind of weapon the North fired or how far it flew.

Japan's Defence Ministry said the launch was possibly ballistic, but didn't immediately provide the flight details. The launch came three days after South Korea and Japan's militaries detected the North firing a suspected ballistic missile from near its capital, Pyongyang, on Wednesday, and three days before the inauguration of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who has vowed to take a tougher approach over the North's nuclear ambitions. The latest launch was likely North Korea's 15th round of missile firings this year, including its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 that demonstrated potential range to reach the entirety of the US mainland.