( 5 th LD ) N . Korea fires ballistic missile ( ATTN : UPDATES with S . Korea ' s assessment in paras 3 - 7 ; ADDS photos ) By Lee Chi - dong SEOUL , April 5 ( Yonhap ) -- North Korea launched a ballistic missile Wednesday into the East Sea , South Korea ' s military said , just two days ahead of summit talks between U . S . President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping . " North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo , South Hamgyong Province , at around 6 : 42 a . m . ," the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS ) said in a statement . " The flight distance is about 60 kilometers . " The projectile is estimated to be " a type of KN - 15 medium - range ballistic missile , " also known as Pukguksong - 2 , and the maximum altitude of its flight was 189 km , a senior JCS official later told reporters . " It ' s still premature to conclude whether the test - firing was a success or failure , " he added . " It was detected by South Korean Navy ' s Aegis ship operating in the East Sea and the Air Force ' s ballistic missile warning system . " He said the North seems to have aimed to test the technology of its ballistic missile technology and also considered the timing just before the U . S . - China summit . Citing an initial assessment , the U . S . Pacific Command also said the projectile seems to be a KN - 15 ballistic missile fired from a land - based facility . It flew nine minutes , added the Hawaii - based command . North Korea fires a medium - range ballistic missile in February in this file photo . ( For Use Only in the Republic of Korea . No Redistribution ) ( KCNA - Yonhap ) The South ' s presidential office convened an emergency National Security Council ( NSC ) meeting to discuss the provocation , presided over by Kim Kwan - jin , the national security adviser to Acting President Hwang Kyo - han . Hwang ordered the nation ' s troops to strengthen their combat readiness in case of a contingency . The North ' s move came as Trump plans to host the Chinese president in his Florida estate on Thursday and Friday ( local time ) for their first summit . The North Korea issue will likely be among top agenda items . In an interview with the Financial Times , Trump warned that the U . S will take unilateral action to get rid of the North ' s military threats unless China does its part . A North Korean ballistic missiles soars to the sky in this file photo . ( For Use Only in the Republic of Korea . No Redistribution ) ( KCNA - Yonhap ) Two weeks ago , the North test - fired a missile , which ended in failure . Earlier in March , the North fired four ballistic missiles , three of which fell into the sea near Japan . In February , it blasted a Pukguksong - 2 intermediate - range ballistic missile ( IRBM ) from a mobile launcher . It flew more than 500 km . The Kim Jong - un regime conducted two nuclear tests and fired two dozen missiles last year . Concern has grown that it may carry out another nuclear test or long - range rocket launch . North Korea ' s state - controlled media remained silent about the latest missile launch . lcd @ yna . co . kr ( END )