North Korea ​fired a projectile towards the sea on ‌Saturday, South Korea and Japan said, with Tokyo saying it may have been a ballistic missile, while the ​US and South Korea conducted military drills.

The ​projectile was fired toward the sea off ⁠North Korea’s east coast, the South Korean ​military said in a brief message to reporters.

​It gave no further details. Japan’s coast guard said the projectile appeared to have fallen into the sea.

It appeared ​to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic ​zone, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported, citing defence ministry sources.

Seoul ‌and ⁠Washington, five days earlier, launched the major drills, which they say are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea.

Nuclear-armed ​North Korea ​frequently displays ⁠its anger and objections to such exercises, saying they are “dress rehearsals” for ​armed aggression against it by the ​allies.

On ⁠Thursday, South Korea’s prime minister met US President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to ⁠reopen ​dialogue with the North, which ​has been suspended since 2019.