North Korea 'fires ballistic missile into waters off South Korean coast'

File photo of ballistic missiles being fired during a test drill in North Korea Credit: AP

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off the east coast of South Korea, officials in Seoul have claimed.

According to reports the missile was launched as South Korean and U.S. troops conducted their annual military drills - drills which the North have made clear it views as an "invasion rehearsal".

A statement issued by Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was "fired from the North's eastern coastal town of Sinpo on Wednesday morning" and flew about 60 kilometres (37 miles).

A news program shown in South Korea shows the trajectory of the missile Credit: AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

The US Pacific Command unit confirmed on Twitter that they had tracked the missile launch until it landed in the Sea of Japan and confirmed that they believed it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile that had been fired.

Japan lodged a formal protest after the launch, stating the incident had been "a clear violation of the U.N. security council resolution."

The military action from North Korea comes just days after President Donald Trump stated that the US was ready to tackle North Korea alone in order to eliminate any nuclear threat the country posed.

Following the launch the Department of State issued a comment on Twitter saying it had "spoken enough about North Korea" and would not be adding any further comment.