North Korea fires a missile during military drills. The north has launched a short range ballistic missile toward the sea as it ramps up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S. South Korean military drills, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff say the missile launched Sunday morning from the north's northwestern region flew across the country before it landed in the waters off its east coast, the firing was the north's third round of weapons tests since the military began the joint drills last week, the north views such drills as an invasion rehearsal, the chief nuclear envoys from North Korea, Japan and the U.S. have condemned the launch as a provocation that