North Korea fires ballistic missile towards East Sea after failed spy satellite launch: Seoul

North Korea on Thursday fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s military said, just days after Pyongyang’s failed attempt to launch a spy satellite. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not provide further details in its statement. Japan’s coastguard and prime minister’s office said the North had fired a suspected ballistic missile, adding they were gathering more information. North Korea’s latest attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit ended in a mid-air explosion on Monday, Pyongyang said, after Seoul and Tokyo had criticised the planned launch. Japanese…