North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday, less than a month after it launched a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, Paralel.Az reports citing Kyodonews.

The Japanese government also said what appears to be a ballistic missile was fired. The projectile is likely to have already fallen, the Japan Coast Guard said, citing information from the Defense Ministry.

The launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week called South Korea his nation's "principal enemy" and the state that is "most hostile" toward Pyongyang, according to the country's official media.

North Korea last launched a ballistic missile on Dec. 18 toward the Sea of Japan, with the missile fired at a lofted angle.