The North fired an unidentified ballistic missile earlier in the day from the vicinity of its border with China in the East Sea.

It flew more than 930 kilometers, according to South Korea's military.

The provocation came days after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a summit in Washington in which they shared the view to leave the door open to possible talks with the North.

"Today's ballistic missile test was conducted just a few days after leaders of South Korea and the US urged the North on June 30 to stop additional provocations and head down the path of denuclearization. Our government strongly condemned it," the ministry said in a statement.

"This reckless provocation is an act that clearly violates UNSC resolutions and completely ignores the demand from the international community for its denuclearization," it added.

The ministry emphasized that its persistent pursuit of nuclear and missile ambitions will only end up isolating the country and deepening its current challenges, calling on Pyongyang to stop provocations and enter denuclearization talks as quickly as possible. (Yonhap)