North Korea launches ballistic missile off east coast, Japan says

North Korea has launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off the east coast of the peninsula, Japan’s defence ministry has said, amid an escalation in weapons testing from the country.

South Korea confirmed the “rival North” had fired the “unidentified projectile” from near the coastal area of Wonsan on Sunday as Japanese public broadcaster NHK said it had come down outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s presidential office convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Sunday following the reports.

The launch is the second in the space of a week and comes as North Korea ramps up its weapons tests in the peninsula. This is despite diplomatic efforts from US president Donald Trump, who recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

Following a ‌previous test on 12 September, South Korea’s NSC urged Pyongyang to immediately cease ⁠missile activity, warning that the test directly violates United Nations ‌Security Council ​resolutions.

A day ​earlier, ⁠North Korea dismissed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang's nuclear programme, ⁠in a statement read out on state media. Pyongyang ​last ⁠week also condemned a ‌US-led naval drill which included South Korea and Japan and which ran from 29 August to 10 September near Guam.

North Korea's Kim ‌Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, on Friday blamed US-led military drills for "ever-worsening" tensions on ⁠the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country's course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.

Trump last month ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea, citing what he called a good relationship with Kim, who has called such drills invasion rehearsals.

But Kim Yo Jong said that shortening the drill wouldn't change its "provocative, aggressive nature."

North Korea's military later launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with a previous threat to respond to the US-South Korean drill.

Military chiefs later said the drill would boost the morale of their troops and ⁠improve their capabilities to "completely collapse the enemy" whenever ordered.

Mr Kim said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the US dropped its “hostile policy” against his country and respected what he called North Korea’s status as a nuclear state.