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North Korea may have tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korean media report.

North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile toward the waters off its eastern coast, the South Korean military said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that the launch to the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, took place Thursday morning, without giving further details.

North Korea has not tested a missile since September 18, when it last fired several short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.

The missile launch comes a day after South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers that North Korea had likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test and was close to testing a capable long-range missile to reach the United States.

The launch also comes amid concerns over North Korea sending troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment was heading toward Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development.

South Korea reports that North Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and that more than 3,000 of them have been brought closer to the fighting in western Russia.