PYONGYANG, 20 October 2021, (TON): The Japanese prime minister says, two ballistic missiles have been detected.

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast, officials in South Korea and Japan said, as Seoul opens a major arms fair, spy chiefs meet to discuss the nuclear standoff, and South Korea prepares for a space launch.

The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

One ballistic missile was launched about 1017 am local time from the vicinity of Sinpo, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, where North Korea keeps submarines as well as equipment for test firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo cited an unnamed military source as saying the government was assuming that it was an SLBM test, without elaborating.

North Korea has also launched other types of missiles from that area.

Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches, JCS said in a statement.