INTERNATIONAL: North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, 5 January, authorities in Japan and South Korea have have confirmed, underscoring leader Kim Jong Un's New Year vow to bolster the military to counter an unstable international situation.

Japan's coast guard, which first reported the launch, has said it could be a ballistic missile but did not provide further details. The launch is the first this year for the nuclear-armed nation.

"Since last year, North Korea has repeatedly launched missiles, which is very regrettable," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told reporters.

Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi has told reporters the suspected missile had flown for about about 500 kilometres and landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have said that the missile was launched eastwards at about 8:10am on Wednesday from a land-based platform, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The test comes days after the conclusion of a key party meeting in North Korea that focused mainly on the pandemic-hit economy, although leader Kim Jong Un has promised to continue to bolster the country’s defence but did not specifically mention weaponry.

The country has continued test firing new, short-range ballistic missiles, including one launched from a submarine in October.