DHAKA: North Korea fired a short-range missile into the sea on Saturday, the 15th time it has launched rockets this year.

The South’s Yonhap news agency reported, says The Straits Times.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement said the North ‘fired a short-range missile presumed to be a Scud-type one into the East Sea’ at 09:40pm (12:40 GMT).

The missile, with an estimated range of 500 kilometres, was launched in a northeastern direction from Jangsan Cape in North Korea’s western coastal region.

‘We are analysing the motive of its missile launch, and we have maintained high-level readiness against its possible additional firing,’ Yonhap quoted the JCS statement as saying.

BDST: 2212 HRS, JUL 26, 2014