North Korea fires 1 ballistic missile off its coast

SEOUL AP - South Korea's military says it detected North Korea firing at least one ballistic missile off its eastern coast, adding to a recent flurry of weapons tests as the United States steps up its military exercises with the South to counter North Korea's growing threat.

On Monday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't say how far the missile flew or where it landed. Japan's coast guard said in a statement that the missile is believed to have already landed.

The North's seventh missile event this month was the North as it steps up its military demonstrations in a tit-for-tat response to U.S. military exercises.

The United States plans to send an aircraft carrier to the South in the coming days to conduct another round of joint drills with the south last week, and the allies completed an 11 day exercise that included their biggest field training in years.

North Korea has fired more than 20 ballistic and cruise missiles across 11 launch events this year as it tries to force the United States to accept its nuclear status and negotiate a removal of sanctions from a position of strength.

North Korea launches this month included a flight-test of an intercontinental ballistic missile and a series of short-range missiles intended to overwhelm South Korean missile defenses as it tries to demonstrate an ability to conduct nuclear strikes on both South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

The North conducted a three-day exercise last week that simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean targets, including cruise missile launches and a demonstration of a purported nuclear-capable underwater drone that the North claimed is capable of destroying naval vessels and ports.

Analysts were skeptical about the North Korean claims about the drone or whether the device presents a major new threat, but the tests underlined the commitment to expand its nuclear threats.