Iran Press/ Asia: The missile was fired at 7:23 a.m. (2223 GMT on Wednesday) from near Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The South Korean military said it was on high alert and coordinating closely with the United States.
North Korea has criticised a recent series of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea as escalating tensions, stepping up its weapons tests in recent months.
The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening the country's war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner to counter Pyongyang called moves of aggression by the United States.
Japanese authorities later retracted the alert, saying an emergency warning system had made an erroneous prediction the missile would fall near the island.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said his government would hold a National Security Council meeting on the launch. 219
