(3rd LD) N. Korea fires 1 SRBM toward East Sea: S. Korean military

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 5-9)

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Sukchon, South Pyongan Province, at around 3:31 p.m.

The North's latest provocation came as ballots are being counted in the U.S. mid-term elections. The South's military has been staging computer-simulated Taegeuk drills since Monday.

Pyongyang launched 35 missiles into the East and Yellow Seas between last Wednesday and Saturday in protest against an massive combined air exercise of the U.S. and South Korea, called Vigilant Storm.

The JCS said the latest missile flew 290 km at apogee of 30 km at top speed of Mach 6 and struck an uninhabited island in waters off the coast of the North's South Hamgyong Province.

The missile is assumed to be one of Pyongyang's new SRBMs, such as KN-23 or KN-24, according to defense authorities.

The JCS said it detected multiple North Korean warplanes flying around the missile's impact area and is analyzing whether the air drill was related to the missile launch.

"South Korea and the United States held a joint meeting and closely shared details of the situation after North Korea fired a ballistic missile and reaffirmed to strengthen the joint defense posture against North Korea's threats and provocations," the JCS said.

"A series of North Korean ballistic missile launches is a grave act of provocation that harms peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the international community, and a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions," the JCS added, calling on Pyongyang to stop such destabilizing acts.

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