( 7 th LD ) N . Korea fires ballistic missile into eastern waters ( ATTN : UPDATES with S . Korean military ' s warning message in paras 11 - 12 ) 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 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 . While North Korea ' s state - controlled media remained silent about the latest missile launch , the South Korean government publicly denounced the Kim Jong - un regime , saying such a provocative act is a " blatant " challenge to U . N . resolutions against Pyongyang . It would only accelerate the collapse of the communist regime , the foreign ministry said , as the unification ministry handling daily inter - Korean affairs urged Pyongyang to refrain from taking actions to destabilize the peninsula . The South ' s military warned that it will constantly enhance its " deterrence capability " against the North ' s nuclear and missile programs . "( We ) gravely warn that North Korea ' s reckless provocation is a path toward the collapse of its regime , " the JCS said in a separate statement . "( We ) strongly condemn a series of North Korean provocations threatening the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the international community . Our troops maintain a firm posture for an immediate response to any kind of provocation by North Korea . " The North ' s move came as Trump is scheduled to host the Chinese president at 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 . " Well if China is not going to solve North Korea , we will . That is all I am telling you , " Trump was quoted as saying . U . S . Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a terse response to the North ' s latest provocation , saying " the United States has spoken enough about North Korea . " 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 North 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 . lcd @ yna . co . kr ( END )