South Korea's military said on Saturday that North Korea apparently launched a ballistic missile from a submarine, in its latest missile tests, which have increased in recent times, and the United States has warned that Pyongyang may soon test a nuclear bomb for the first time since 2017.

The South Korean military said the North had launched a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast around 5 a.m. GMT.

According to the South Korean military, the missile is believed to have been launched from a submarine in the Sinpo area where North Korean submarines and equipment for testing this type of missile are located.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense also announced via Twitter that North Korea fired a projectile that appears to be a ballistic missile, and the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) said that the projectile fell outside the waters of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

And Reuters news agency quoted Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi as saying that North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile "is unacceptable and poses a threat to the international community."

On Wednesday, South Korea and Japan said North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast.

About a week ago, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to speed up the development of his country's nuclear arsenal while attending a massive military parade, as talks on denuclearization are still stalled with the United States.

Kim Jong-un's regime has stopped launching ICBMs and nuclear tests since 2017, but it has partially restarted by launching an ICBM at the end of last March, and many observers expect that it will also test a nuclear weapon, as it did 6 times between 2006 and 2017. .

US estimates

The United States warned Friday that North Korea may conduct this possible nuclear test soon, and issued a fresh call for dialogue despite the current diplomatic stalemate.

US State Department spokeswoman Galina Porter said Pyongyang was "preparing the Punggye-ri test site, and it may be ready to conduct a test there this month, and this will be its seventh nuclear test."

She added that "this analysis is in line with the recent public statements of North Korea itself," stressing that the US administration has informed its allies of these data and will continue to "close coordination with them."

Also, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Saturday that North Korea may be able to finish preparations for a nuclear test this month.

For weeks, US and South Korean officials have said there is evidence of new construction at the Punggye-ri site, North Korea's only known nuclear test site, and that Pyongyang may soon test another bomb.

The Bungi-ri site has been officially closed since 2018, and Porter's statement that the site may be ready this month is more specific about a possible time for the test, the first statement of its kind by a US official in this regard.