SEOUL: South Korea's military said it suspects North Korea fired a second missile on Friday morning, after the North earlier launched a ballistic missile that flew about 800 km (500 miles) and into the sea off its east coast.

The second projectile launched soon after the first and from the same region near the North's west coast disappeared from radar at an altitude of about 17 km, the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Further analysis was needed to determine the nature of the second projectile, it said. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the second projectile may have disintegrated mid-air.