North Korean forces reportedly launched another ballistic missile at around 9:40 a.m. local time, South Korean officials reported.
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North Korea launches ballistic missile after US-China talks
The latest launch could be the 13th long-range ballistic missile from North Korea this year.
A view of the test-fire of Pukguksong-2, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang February 13, 2017.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that Tuesday's launch came from an airfield in North Korea's northwestern Phyongan province, according to Reuters.
The missile was said to have landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to a Japanese defense official cited in a CNN report. Another Japanese official also corroborated the final destination of the missile, adding that it flew for about 40 minutes before landing in Japan's EEZ.
South Korean military officials claimed that the missile flew over 580 miles, Reuters reported. If the initial reports are correct, one estimate shows that the same missile could reach a maximum range of around 4,160 miles on a standard trajectory — enough distance to reach Alaska.
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Shortly after the launch, President Donald Trump called out North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Twitter: "North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?"
The launch also comes days before the G20 Summit in Germany, where world leaders are scheduled to assemble and address economic issues around the world.
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