North Korean missile travels 500 km, reaches maximum altitude of 50 km, reports Japan's top brass

The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday flew 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The missile traveled at least 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km and fell into the Sea of Japan outside our country's exclusive economic zone," the ministry said, adding that Japanese authorities had "lodged a strong protest with North Korea over the incident."

According to the statement, Japan "will continue to collect and analyze information in close cooperation with the United States and South Korea." North Korea fired a missile for the first time since the beginning of the year.