SEOUL, March 9. /TASS/. North Korea has launched one short-range ballistic missile toward the Yellow Sea, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Accroding to the agency’s information, the missile was launched at about 6:20 p.m. local time (12:20 a.m. Moscow time) from the Nampo area. "We are maintaining full readiness in close cooperation with the US. We’ve also stepped up surveillance and vigilance," the South Korean military said in a statement.

The North Korean General Staff said on Tuesday that artillery firing took place on South Korean territory near the border between the two countries, which Pyongyang viewed as a provocation.

On March 13, a joint exercise by the US and South Korea called Freedom Shield will begin. It will last until March 23. At the same time, there will be large-scale Warrior Shield field maneuvers. On March 6, South Korean and US servicemen held an air force exercise involving at least one US B-52H strategic bomber. Another air force maneuver involving a US strategic bomber took place on March 3.

North Korean authorities had previously warned that Seoul and Washington would face reprisals if they went forward with their ambitious plans for joint maneuvers. On February 23, North Korea launched four Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles toward the Sea of Japan.