North Korea fires missile, warns of strong action over US sanctions push

North Korea fired an apparent missile on Friday, just hours after criticising a U.S. push for new sanctions over its recent missile launches as a "provocation" and warning of strong reaction.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched an unidentified projectile, without elaborating.

Japan's coast guard also said the North fired what could be a ballistic missile.

North Korea defended its missile tests as its legitimate right to self-defence and said the United States was intentionally escalating the situation by imposing new sanctions, state media reported earlier on Friday, citing the foreign ministry.

North Korea's recent development of a "new-type weapon" was just part of its efforts to modernize its national defence capability, and did not target any specific country or harm the security of neighbouring countries, the foreign ministry said in a statement on the KCNA state news agency.