North Korea long-range ballistic missile test splashes down between Japan and Russia

FILE PHOTO: A man takes photographs in front of a military fence near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, a day after Seoul reported the North was making preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The launch, at a sharply raised angle, was from an area near the North's capital, Pyongyang, at 7:10 a.m. (2210 GMT), the Joint Chiefs said in a statement. The Japanese government later said the missile dropped into the sea at 8:37 a.m. (2337 GMT).