North Korea has conducted another missile test, South Korea's military has said.

The White House said the medium-range missile had a shorter range than those used in North Korea's last three tests, reports the BBC.

It comes a week after North Korea tested what it said was a new type of rocket capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead.

Last Monday, the UN Security Council again demanded that Pyongyang conduct no further such tests.

It stressed the importance of North Korea “immediately showing sincere commitment to denuclearization through concrete action”.

The latest missile flew about 500km (310 miles) towards the Sea of Japan, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Last week's missile travelled about 700km.

Japanese news agencies said the missile probably fell into the sea outside Japanese waters.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference a protest had been lodged with North Korea.

North Korea is known to be developing both nuclear weapons - it has conducted five nuclear tests - and the missiles capable of delivering those weapons to their target. Both are in defiance of UN sanctions.

South Korea said the latest test was conducted in Pukchang, in the west of the country. A missile exploded soon after take-off from Pukchang last month.

Earlier on Sunday, the North's state-run media had said it would continue to launch more “weapons capable of striking” the US.

BDST: 1615 HRS, MAY 21, 2017
AP