India, Aug. 7 -- North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the waters off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea this year.

The military detected the launch from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area around 5 pm, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said South Korea's military has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the US and Japan.

Japan's Defence Ministry also said that North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile but there was no impact in or around Japan.

North Korea has been focusing on enlarging its nuclear and missile arsenals since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes diplomacy with ...