published Aug 23rd 2016, 6:46 pm, by Jiyeun Lee

(Bloomberg) —
North Korea launched a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast early Wednesday, in a move that comes as South Korea conducts military drills with the U.S.

The missile flew about 500 kilometers, suggesting the nation’s missile technology has improved from previous launches, a South Korean defense ministry official said. The missile was fired at about 5:30 a.m. from waters near the city of Sinpo where North Korea has previously conducted test-firings of ballistic missiles. Yonhap News said the missile fell into Japan’s air defense zone.

The launch comes after North Korea threatened a “pre-emptive” attack on South Korea for Seoul and Washington conducting military exercises on the Korean peninsula — the annual, two-week drill involving about 75,000 troops is one of the largest ever. It also comes before a trilateral meeting of South Korean, Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers in Tokyo later Wednesday morning.

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on its official Twitter feed that there were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft in the area. Abe’s office said the missile launch was in violation of international law and that Japan would take a firm stance against North Korea over the firing.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile that fell in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

U.S. Strategic Command confirmed the launch. “The men and women of USSTRATCOM, NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Pacific Command remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security,” it said in a statement.

–With assistance from Shoko Oda. To contact the reporter on this story: Jiyeun Lee in Seoul at jlee1029@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Pae at ppae1@bloomberg.net Andy Sharp

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While Mr. Obama worries about bathrooms, North Korea builds missles. —W.