North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday (local time), South Korea's military said, according to a report in the Yonhap news agency.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff provided no additional information, stating that an analysis of the launch is in progress.

North Korea has upped its rhetoric in recent months and has also staged dozens of launches of missiles this year, most recently in mid-September, when it fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles.

In July, the country tested a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a 4.5-ton super-large warhead.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected key missile bases, reviewing the "readiness for action of strategic deterrence" and describing US strategic nuclear capabilities as a threat.

Kim stressed the need to prioritize the strategic missile force in the modernization of the country's armed forces, calling it "an important principle of the strategy for building the national defense."