N Korea fires missile after Seoul's demand for apology

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Seoul,: North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the East Sea on Saturday, hours after rejecting South Korea's calls for dialogue and denying responsibility for a mine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area and travelled more than 700km. South Korea, the US and Japan were sharing information and maintaining a joint defence posture, it said.

The launch followed a sharp exchange between the two Koreas over last month's explosion in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). Seoul and the US-led UN Command concluded that North Korean mines placed on the South Korean side of the border caused the blast.

South Korea had demanded an apology from Pyongyang. President Lee Jae Myung also urged North Korea to resume dialogue, while Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed talks on border issues.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, rejected the overtures, describing Seoul's demands as 'ridiculous' and its proposal for talks as a 'wild dream'. She also warned that North Korea was prepared for any action by the South.

The latest missile launch comes amid growing tensions along the heavily fortified border. North Korea has been laying mines and building anti-tank barriers as part of efforts to strengthen its frontier with the South.

Analysts said the launch appeared to signal Pyongyang's continued rejection of Seoul's attempts to ease tensions.

The development also comes as US President Donald Trump has made recent overtures towards North Korea, raising concerns in Seoul about its role in any future discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear programme.