South Korea’s military announced on Wednesday that North Korea launched another ballistic missile toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan), just hours after reporting an earlier projectile launch the same day.

In a statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was unspecified, adding that the latest launch was separate from previous launches carried out earlier in the day.

The escalation comes amid recent political tensions between the two Koreas. On Monday, Seoul expressed regret over civilian drone incursions into the North in January, describing them as “irresponsible actions.”

President Lee Jae-myung acknowledged that government officials were involved in the incident, a move welcomed by Pyongyang, with Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling it a “wise behavior.”

However, tensions quickly rose again as a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official on Tuesday described South Korea as the “most hostile state,” echoing previous rhetoric from Pyongyang.