Officials with South Korea's Defense Ministry said earlier that Pyongyang had conducted a failed launch, with the missile falling into the Sea of Japan.
"The North launched an unidentified missile from areas near Wonsan at around 5:58 am," said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Yonhap news agency.
The DPRK has test fired a number of ballistic missiles in recent months. These have been condemned by the United Nations, with the US, South Korea, China, and Russia urging Pyongyang to tone down the tests. Harsh new sanctions were put in place in response to earlier tests.
Pyongyang has also claimed to have developed a miniaturized nuclear warhead that could, theoretically, be launched with an intercontinental missile.