North Korea has test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, saying it will take more 'self-defence measures' in the event of UN Security Council sanctions.
South Korean news agency Yonhap has quoted an unnamed government source as saying the North fired the short-range rocket from its Musudan-ri missile base.
It is the fifth such test since the nuclear test. Most of the missiles are believed to have a range of around 130km.
South Korea fears an increasingly aggressive North may be preparing fresh moves after Chinese fishing boats were spotted leaving a disputed sea border on the west coast.
Both South Korea and the US raised the military alert level in the region this week North Korea followed Monday's nuclear test with further missile launches.
However the US, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, says it is confident it has enough troops to protect its ally.
In New York, the US and Japan have circulated a draft UNSC resolution to key members, condemning Pyongyang's second nuclear test and demanding strict enforcement of existing sanctions.
Russia has said it opposes punishing Pyongyang ‘for the sake of punishment alone’. China - another veto-wielding member of the Security Council - is wary of a possible influx of refugees if the North Korean regime collapses.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, en-route to a regional security meeting in Singapore, accused the North of ‘very provocative, aggressive’ actions.
