South Korea's military says that North Korea unsuccessfully test-fired a ballistic missile early on Wednesday and that it is analyzing the launch.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff say the missile was launched from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 5:30 a.m., but that the launch apparently failed. The missile was reportedly fired toward the Sea of Japan.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a military source said, "The North appears to have test-fired a hypersonic missile, but the test is believed to have ended in failure after the missile flew some 250 kilometers."

The military says the South Korean and US militaries are conducting a detailed analysis.

This is the first time that the North has fired a ballistic missile since May 30.

The launch comes after Pyongyang warned that it would take countermeasures in response to the arrival of a US aircraft carrier in Busan. The USS Theodore Roosevelt will take part in the inaugural trilateral Freedom Edge exercise. Japan, United States and South Korea are participating in the drill.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol inspected the vessel on Tuesday, which was the 74th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

North Korea's vice defense minister said in a statement on Monday that his country "condemns the provocative attempts" of the US and South Korea "with the most powerful rhetoric and with all possibilities of demonstrating its overwhelming and new deterrent force."