South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said that North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile(IRBM) eastward Tuesday morning.

The JCS said that it detected the launch from the area of Mupyong-ri in Chagang Province at 7:23 a.m.

Military authorities said the missile is believed to have been an IRBM that flew over Japan and are conducting a detailed analysis of the launch, including the range and speed.

The North appears to be raising the level of provocation by launching a presumed IRBM for the first time in about nine months after firing an IRBM at a steep angle from the same area in January.

The JCS said that the military is maintaining its readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States.

Pyongyang has conducted 21 ballistic missile and two cruise missile tests so far this year.