North Korea has launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula, Japan’s defence ministry says.

South Korea’s defence ministry said the rival North had fired an unidentified projectile on Sunday.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said it had come down outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

A day earlier, North Korea dismissed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang’s nuclear program in a statement through state media.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

Pyongyang last week also condemned a US-led naval drill including South Korea and Japan, which ran from August 29 to September 10 near Guam.

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, on Friday blamed US-led military drills for “ever-worsening” tensions on the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country’s course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.