North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on New Year’s Day

The South Korean military said that North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile towards the sea east of the Korean peninsula in the early hours of the new year.

The move comes even 24 hours after North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday.

North Korea also launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Yonhap, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the short-range ballistic missile was launched at around 2:50 am local time (0750 GMT) from Pyongyang.

The launch follows an unprecedented number of missile tests by North Korea this year, as Pyongyang continues to develop weapons amid speculation it may test a nuclear weapon for the seventh time.