North Korea fired a missile into the sea amid US-South Korean drills

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea fired a suspected missile into the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, as North Korea ramps up testing in response to U.S.-South Korean military exercises it sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.

A North Korean missile was fired Sunday morning, according to Japan’s defense ministry and coast guard. No further details were provided.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited the South Korean military as saying that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.

Calls to the Southern Chiefs of Staff were not immediately returned Sunday.

The launch, if confirmed, would be the North’s third round of weapons tests since the US and South Korean militaries began joint military exercises last week.

The North sees the exercise as a practice to launch an invasion, although the United States and South Korea have been adamant that their training is defensive. The latest U.S.-South Korea exercises, which include computer simulations and field exercises, continue until Thursday.

North Korea’s recently tested weapons include the longest-range Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the US mainland. The North’s state media quoted leader Kim Jong Un as saying that the purpose of the ICBM launch was to “instill fear in the enemy”.

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This version corrects that the launch, if confirmed, would be the third round of weapons tests since joint US-South Korean exercises began last week (not the fourth).