North Korea fires projectile into seas near Japan

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday that North Korea had launched an unidentified projectile toward the both of water located between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

English-language newspaper The Korea Herald reported that details surrounding the launch were not immediately available.

According to The Japan Times, Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the launch, with the Japan Coast Guard describing the projectile as a possible ballistic missile and advising vessels to pay attention for further updates and avoid any fallen objects.

The name of the body of water is itself a matter of dispute, with Japan referring to it as the Sea of Japan and South Korea as the East Sea. The U.S. government also refers to it as the Sea of Japan.

The reported launch comes less than a month after North Korea carried out a series of missile tests. According to North Korean state media, one such test of anti-aircraft missiles was “of very practical significance in studying and developing various prospective anti-aircraft missile system.”

Earlier last month, state media reported that new long-range cruise missiles had successfully been tested as well as a new hypersonic missile.

In mid-September, diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea called on North Korea to return to talks about its nuclear development.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Sung Kim said the three countries were open to diplomatic with North Korea “to make tangible progress that increases the security of the United States and our allies.”

This story was updated at 4:52 p.m. Oct. 19.