North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Monday.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS), around noon the military detected what it believes to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile fired from an area near Pyongyang.

This marks the first ballistic missile launch of the year, just two weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The JCS said the military has reinforced monitoring and vigilance in preparation for additional launches and is sharing information with the United States and Japan, while maintaining a full defense posture.

Quoting the Japanese government, NHK and Kyodo News said the missile is estimated to have reached a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers and flown about one-thousand-100 kilometers before falling outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. 

The latest missile launch by North Korea is also the first since November 5, when it test-fired a short-range ballistic missile.