[Anchor]

South Korea's military says North Korea has fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

The projectile that was fired early Tuesday from the port of Sinpo landed into the East Sea.

It's the latest weapons test by the North, which has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile programs, despite international sanctions.

It also comes as South Korean, American and Japanese intelligence officials gather in Seoul.

The BBC's Laura Bicker has the latest.

[Reporter]

What we don't know, and this is key, is whether or not it was actually launched from a submarine.

In the past, North Korea, in October 2019, has fired such a missile.

But it fired it from an underwater platform.

So, what we're not sure about is whether it actually came from a submarine or whether they just tested the type of missile because that will make a clear difference to the kind of threat it poses not just to South Korea and Japan, but also elsewhere.