North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the ocean on Wednesday, South Korea and Japan said, in the first such launch by Pyongyang this year.
In the decade since Kim Jong Un took power, North Korea has seen rapid progress in its military technology at the cost of international sanctions.
A year of major arms tests followed by the first apparent weapons launch of the nation in 2022, despite the severe economic hardship during the coronaviruses epidemic.
South Korea's military said the North fired what is presumed to be a ballistic missile towards the ocean east of the peninsula at around 8: 10 am 2310 GMT Tuesday. South Korean and US intelligence are closely analysing for further details, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement.
Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida described it as a possible ballistic missile launch. "It is regrettable that North Korea has continuously launched missiles since last year," he told reporters.
Kishida said the Japanese government was looking at details, including how many missiles may have been launched.
The Japanese coast guard had said earlier that it spotted a ballistic missile fired from North Korea, warning vessels in the area not to approach any suspicious objects.
Kim said last week that North Korea would continue to build up its military capabilities after a speech by Kim last week.
In 2021, North Korea said that it successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, a long-range cruise missile, a train-launched weapon, and what it described as a hypersonic warhead.
After the collapse of talks between Kim and then-President Donald Trump in 2019, the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains stalled.
Under Trump's successor, Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives, while saying it will seek denuclearisation.
Pyongyang has dismissed the offer, accusing Washington of pursuing hostile policies.
He did not mention the United States at the end of a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party last week.
Instead of the policy positions on diplomacy for which Kim's New Year statements have been closely watched in recent years, he focused on food security and development in an extensive speech.
He said that Pyongyang would continue to boost its capabilities, keeping in mind the military environment of the Korean peninsula and the changing international situation.
North Korea is under a number of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which have progressed rapidly under Kim.
The nation has been plagued by a rigid self-imposed coronaviruses blockade that has hammered its economy.
The worsening economic situation during the Pandemic has not weakened those programmes, and North Korea has continued to pursue weapons development, according to a UN report in October.
Concerns have grown about a full-blown food crisis in North Korea, and a UN human rights expert warned that the most vulnerable were at risk of starvation in October.