TOKYO, January 14. /TASS/. North Korea launched what is believed to be a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, Japan Coast Guard reported Friday.

Japanese government and Ministry of Defense also speculated that the launched missile was a ballistic one. According to the Coast Guard, the missile has most likely dropped already, but the exact drop location is being determined. The Coast Guard urges ships in the Sea of Japan not to approach missile fragments, should they discover them.

This is Pyongyang’s third missile launch this year.

According to South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, on January 11, North Korea fires a presumably ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan. The missile reportedly travelled for over 700 km, with maximum altitude of 70 km and speed of Mach 10 (over 12,000 km/h).

On January 12, DPRK announced a successful test of a hypersonic missile. According to Pyongyang, it travelled for 1,000 km and successfully hit its target after abruptly changing its course at the final stage of the flight. The test was reportedly designed for final testing of capabilities of a domestically-developed hypersonic weapon.

Another launch took place on January 5.