▲ This file photo, released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on April 3, 2024, shows an intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead being fired the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, just a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their trilateral military exercise.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch, but did not provide details pending further analysis.

The latest launch came after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo concluded their five-day Freedom Edge exercise in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju this week.

The drills proceeded as planned despite Seoul and Washington having scaled back their annual combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise last month following an order from U.S. President Donald Trump.

In an apparent conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang, Trump ordered the reduction of joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S., saying that the drills are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North.

Saturday's launch came ahead of a high-stakes summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to take place in Washington later this month. North Korea-related issues are expected to be part of the agenda for the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting.

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