North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile towards sea; Japan sets up emergency response team

North Korea fired at least one “unidentified projectile” eastward on Saturday, according to South Korea’s defence ministry, in a move that comes weeks after Pyongyang dismissed Seoul’s latest peace outreach as a “clumsy, deceptive farce”.Seoul’s military confirmed the launch in a brief statement but did not immediately provide further details about the projectile or its range.Japan’s Coast Guard later reported that what appeared to be a ballistic missile had been launched from North Korea around 1:30pm local time, citing information from the defence ministry. Officials believe the missile fell into waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Tokyo has since set up an emergency response team at the prime minister’s crisis management centre to assess the situation and check for any damage.The launch comes amid renewed diplomatic speculation involving the United States. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said US President Donald Trump believes a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “would be good”, following talks between the two in Washington.