( Screen captured from Yonhap TV ) North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast Wednesday in an apparent show of force a day before the first summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping , South Korea ’ s military said . The missile lifted off at 6 : 42 a . m . from a land - based facility near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo , home to the North ’ s submarine base . Having reached an altitude of 189 kilometers , the missile flew about 60 kilometers before falling into the East Sea , South Korea ’ s Joint Chiefs of Staff said . Based on initial analysis between South Korea and the US military , the missile is believed to be a KN - 15 medium - range ballistic missile -- otherwise known as the Pukguksong - 2 , which the North launched for the first time in February , the JCS added . “ Our assessment is that the missile fired today falls into the category of KN - 15 , ” a JCS official told reporters under the customary condition of anonymity . “ We believe the missile launch came in consideration of the scheduled US - China summit and gave the North an opportunity to check its missile capability . ” The US Pacific Command also confirmed the type of missile was a KN - 15 , adding the launch “ did not a pose a threat ” to US territory based on an intelligence assessment from the North American Aerospace Defense Command . Using solid - fuel and a mobile launcher , the Pukguksung - 2 had rattled the allies when it was first unveiled in February with its ability to make it difficult for outsiders to detect launch signs in advance . Most of the North ’ s missiles use liquid propellants , which need to be added on the launch pad before liftoff . Whether Wednesday ’ s launch was a success has yet to be determined , the JCS official said , responding to a question over the missile ’ s shorter flight distance of 60 kilometers than the previous Pukguksong - 2 missile , which flew about 500 kilometers . Some analysts suggested the launch might be a test of a new missile -- or a modified version of conventional ones , saying it was unusual to see the North conducting a missile test at a launch site near the coast , not an inland site at Banghyeon , North Pyongan Province . The previous Pukguksong - 2 and intermediate - range Musudan missiles fired last year were all also launched from Banghyeon . The JCS , however , dismissed the possibility that the missile was launched from a submarine , reiterating it involved a land - based facility . North Korea has spurred the development of submarine - launched ballistic missiles since it successfully test - fired an SLBM at a shipyard in Sinpo last year . South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June - hyuck ( Yonhap ) “ It is still too early to discuss whether the launch was a success or failure and whether the missile flew normally , ” said the official . “ It needs further analysis . ” South Korea and Japan condemned it as a “ flagrant and clear ” violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles , which North Korea test - fired four times since Donald Trump took office in January . US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , who had hinted at taking “ military options ” against the North ’ s military provocations , issued a terse statement , saying “ The United States has spoken enough about North Korea . We have no further comment . ” Shortly after the missile launch Cheong Wa Dae convened a National Security Council meeting chaired by its chief Kim Kwan - jin . The attendants pledged a stern response against North Korea ’ s potential military provocation . “ The missile launch constitutes a grave threat to the international community and poses a flagrant challenge to the UN security resolution on North Korea ’ s nuclear and missile provocation . For that , our government strongly condemns ( the launch ) , ” Seoul ’ s foreign ministry spokesman Cho June - hyuck said . Describing the launch as a “ major provocation , ” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government would “ never tolerate ” the North ’ s missile test and pledge to enhance security cooperation between Seoul , Tokyo and Washington . “ North Korea ’ s missile launch is a major provocation to our security . It is intolerable , ” the prime minister told reporters . “ We believe North Korea would conduct another provocation . We will seek to come up with measures to protect the people ’ s lives working with the US and Korea . " By Yeo Jun - suk ( jasonyeo @ heraldcorp . com ) [ 코리아 헤럴드 ] [ K - POP HERALD ] [ 페이스북 ] <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >