North Korea fired a ballistic missile

(Patria) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea from its east coast, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced today, Reuters reported.

The missile is believed to have already fallen, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense in a statement around midnight.

Pyongyang last tested its ballistic missile in November.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for more than doubling the production capacity of tactical guided weapons during his last visit to an ammunition factory, North Korean state media reported today.

In recent weeks, Kim has made a series of visits to factories producing weapons, as well as a nuclear-powered submarine, and has overseen missile tests ahead of the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party next year, convened to set major political goals.