North Korea fires ballistic missile in 9th round of launches this year

North Korea launched a ballistic missile Saturday, the Japanese government said, marking the ninth in a series of missile tests by Pyongyang this year and coming only days before South Korea's presidential election.The missile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone after flying about 300 kilometers apparently on a lofted trajectory and reaching an altitude of about 550 km, the Defense Ministry said, adding no damage has been reported.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that what it described as a suspected ballistic missile was launched from an area near Sun…READ FULL ARTICLE