South Korea says North Korea fires projectile in third launch this month

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea in December.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday fired at least one possible ballistic missile in its third weapons launch this month, officials in South Korea and Japan said, in an apparent reprisal for fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration for its continuing test launches.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapon was fired toward the east but did not immediately say where it landed or provided other details.

Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Defense Ministry said also said they detected the North Korean launch and said it was possibly a ballistic missile.