North Korea launches ballistic missile after confirming new US talks

South Korean officials said the long-range missile had been launched toward the sea of Japan on Wednesday morning, flying about 450km and climbing to an altitude of 910km.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the launch, stating that it was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions which prohibit the hermit kingdom from using ballistic missile technology.

If the ordinance was fired from a submarine, as speculated by the South Korean military, it would be the first test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile for more than three years, indicating that Pyongyang is ramping up development of its naval arsenal.

The launch would represent the 11th missile test conducted by North Korea this year and an escalation from its regular short-range tests.

Just hours prior to the launch, Pyongyang confirmed that denuclearisation talks with Washington would recommence later during the same week.

The most recent official negotiations between the two nations fell apart in February without an agreement being reached after US President Trump refused Kim Jong Un's request to lift all sanctions on North Korea.

However, the two leaders met in June in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea, where they agreed to rekindle staff-level talks.