North Korea fires ballistic missile in a show of 'defiance' days before Vice President Kamala Harris visits region

• North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea.
• "It's North Korea's way of showing defiance of the [US] alliance," said an analyst at the Rand Corporation.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward South Korea just days before Vice-President Kamala Harris's visit.

The South Korean military said that the short-range ballistic missile was fired from the Taechon area of North Pyongyang Province and traveled roughly 600 km (373 miles) at an altitude of 60 km and a speed of Mach 5, or 3,836.35 mph, Reuters reports.

"North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile is an act of grave provocation that threatens the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and international community," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Reuters.

On their website, the Joint Chiefs of Staff added, "In case of provocation by the enemy, we will win on the spot by responding with joint force," and said they are "making efforts to prepare" for any future provocations.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense also confirmed the missile blast, saying it "threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community."

"It's North Korea's way of showing defiance of the [US] alliance," said Soo Kim, an analyst at the Rand Corporation, the BBC report.

The launch came as South Korean and US forces, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, will participate in a joint drill this week.

The carrier docked in Busan naval base on Friday, along with other US warships. It is the most significant deployment yet under a new push by the Biden administration to use the US "strategic assets" to deter North Korea, Reuters reported.

Vice President Harris is set to travel to Japan for Prime Minister Abe's funeral, arriving on Monday. On the 29th, she will travel to South Korea, which a senior White House official says is an "opportunity for the Vice President to demonstrate our solidarity with our South Korean allies on the threat posed by the North."