North Korea's ballistic missile / Korea Times file

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, in the latest of a series of weapons demonstrations this years and just hours after it confirmed its first case of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

Japan's Defense Ministry said the projectile fired by North Korea was a possible ballistic missile. It gave no other details.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that the missile flew toward North Korea's eastern waters. It also gave no details.