North Korea is believed to have fired off a ballistic missile in the early hours of Wednesday morning, ratcheting up tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

朝鲜据信在周三凌晨发射了一枚弹道导弹，使平壤方面与华盛顿方面的紧张关系进一步加剧。

The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that it was “probable” North Korea had fired a ballistic missile at around 1:30pm Washington time, but that it was still assessing the launch.

五角大楼证实，朝鲜“很可能”在华盛顿时间周二下午1时30分左右发射了一枚弹道导弹，但其仍在对此次发射进行评估。

A State Department official said the agency was “aware of reports of a North Korean missile launch” and that it would be providing additional information when it became available.

美国国务院一名官员表示，其“知道有关朝鲜发射导弹的报道”，将在掌握更多情况后提供进一步信息。

The launch was first reported by Yonhap news agency and subsequently confirmed by South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff.

韩国联合通讯社(Yonhap)率先报道了此次发射，随后韩国参谋长联席会议(Joint Chiefs of Staff)证实了这件事。