The projectile was fired into the sea east of the peninsula, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without immediately giving further details.

In 2021, nuclear-armed North Korea said it successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile; a long-range cruise missile; a train-launched weapon; and what it described as a hypersonic warhead.

The latest test comes as North Korea has kept mum about US appeals for talks with Pyongyang.

At a key meeting of the North's ruling party last week, leader Kim Jong Un -- who has overseen rapid progress in its military technology, at the cost of international sanctions -- vowed to continue building up its military capabilities, without mentioning the United States.

The country has stayed away from talks on its nuclear programme since the collapse in 2019 of the dialogue between Kim and then US president Donald Trump.

Under Trump's successor Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives, while saying it will seek denuclearisation.

But Pyongyang has so far dismissed the offer, accusing Washington of pursuing "hostile" policies.