SEOUL (TSAT) - North Korea on Saturday has test fired another suspected ballistic missile toward the east Sea, South Korean military claimed. 

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from around the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 8:48 a.m. and that the missile flew around 270 kilometers at a top altitude of 560 km, according to Yonhap News Agency. 

The latest test came just four days ahead of the South Korea Presidential elections, where millions of South Korea will go to cast votes on March 9 to elect their next president. 

"The North's recent series of ballistic missile launches are a significant threat to not only the international community but also peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the agency quoted the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters. "We strongly urge the North to immediately stop them."

The North appears to have launched the missile at a steep angle from a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) from the Sunan airfield, a JCS official said.

"For other specifics, the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are conducting an additional analysis as we leave various possibilities open," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Given its range and other details, Saturday's missile appears to be similar to the one fired also at a steep angle at the Sunan airfield on Feb. 27, the official said.

This was the ninth missile test of North Korea this year as tension growing in the Korean peninsula.

North Korea always accusing the US for its “hostile” policy toward its country and calling their missile test as preparation for any US move against Pyongyang.