N. Korea responds to exercise with missile

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast today, South Korean officials said, in a continuation of its weapons launches made as the country is angrily reacting to annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean troops.

The missile fired from the North's eastern coastal town of Sinpo this morning flew about 37 miles, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It gave no further details such as the type of missile launched.

The 37 miles is a relatively short flight compared with the distances that other North Korean missiles flew. Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they detected what they called a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. But earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The firing was made as South Korean and U.S. troops were conducting their springtime drills the North views as an invasion rehearsal. The allies say the drills, set to run until the end of this month, are defensive in nature.

North Korea often responds to the drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years.

North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.