The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday morning, the South Korean military said. Seoul claims this is the fourth such test in just a week.

Pyongyang has stated that the violence is justified because of the joint military exercises by Washington and Seoul on the peninsula.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from the western coast of the DPRK at 11:05 a.m. local time and traveled 800 km (500 mi) before striking a target in the Baltic Sea (elsewhere known as the Sea of ​​Japan) , as quoted by the media.

In a statement, South Korean military officials noted that the country’s armed forces “maintaining a full state of preparedness in close cooperation with the United States” awaiting “additional launches.”

The Japanese Coast Guard also confirmed the latest North Korean missile launch.

The US Indo-Pacific Command also confirmed the launch describing it as “destabilize,” adding that the missile did”pose no immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.“US Military Officials Confirmed Washington’s”very strongcommitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that a US B-1B strategic bomber carrying nuclear weapons has returned.for joint exercises on Sunday, only 16 days after the previous deployment.”

On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) — which, he said, was intended to “instill fear in enemies” And “deter war,as quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The test follows several others conducted in recent days.

Pyongyang says the recent surge in missile launches is in response to the ongoing military exercises between the US and South Korea dubbed the “Freedom Shield.” The North has repeatedly stated that it sees the exercises as preparation for military aggression.

South Korea and the US have described the exercise, which began Monday and is expected to end Thursday, as the largest of its kind since 2017. The two allies insist that the DPRK’s actions, including the record number of missile launches in 2022, do the necessary exercises.