North Korea fired what it claims to be a "space launch vehicle" southward Thursday, the South Korean military said, in an apparent second try to put a spy satellite into orbit less than three months after its first failed attempt.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang had fired “what the North claims is a space launch vehicle,” without offering further details.

The launch was first signaled by the Japanese government, which said the North had fired a suspected ballistic missile. The Kyodo agency, citing the government in Tokyo, said the projectile had flown over Japanese territory.

Pyongyang told Japan’s coast guard on Tuesday that its launch would take place between August 24 and 31, prompting Tokyo to mobilise ships and its PAC-3 missile defence system in case anything was to land in its territory.

Seoul has said such a launch is “an illegal act” because it violates UN sanctions prohibiting the North from tests using ballistic technology./Dawn news