North Korea fires sixth missile of the year

North Korea has fired a short-range missile into the sea, the 15th time it has launched rockets this year, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement said the North "fired a short-range missile presumed to be a Scud-type one into the East Sea".

The missile, with an estimated range of 500km, was launched in a north-eastern direction from Jangsan Cape in North Korea's western coastal region.

"We are analysing the motive of its missile launch, and we have maintained high-level readiness against its possible additional firing," Yonhap quoted the government statement as saying.

Pyongyang had not imposed a no-fly, no-sail zone ahead of the launch, which was the sixth ballistic missile firing this year, the news agency said.