The South Korean military said on Sunday that North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile earlier in the day.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that it detected the launch of what appeared to be a ballistic missile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang toward the East Sea at 7:52 a.m. It added the projectile flew about 300 kilometers at a top altitude of 620 kilometers.

The Sunan District houses an airfield and is the location where the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles last month.

The JCS said that the South Korean military is closely monitoring the situation while maintaining a readiness posture.

According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the Japanese Defense Ministry also announced on Sunday that North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile.

Japan's Kyodo News quoted a Japanese government official as saying that the projectile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.