North Korea fires missile just hours before VP Kamala Harris leaves for Asia

North Korea fired a missile early Sunday morning in a provocative move hours before VP Kamala Harris departed for Asia, U.S. and South Korean military officials said.

According to South Korean officials, the missile was short range and launched from the town of Taechon and flew roughly 370 miles, landing in the ocean off of the eastern coast of North Korea, The Washington Times reported.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement that referred to the launch as a "significant provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as in the international community."

"While monitoring and tracking North Korean movements to prepare against any additional provocation in close cooperation with the U.S., our military will maintain a firm readiness posture based on the capability to respond overwhelmingly to any North Korean provocation," the statement read, according to Yonhap News Agency in South Korea. 

According to The Washington Times, Japanese officials are still looking for information about the launch to make sure ships and aircraft are safe in that region where the missile launched.