SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, prompting condemnation from South Korea as Pyongyang blamed the United States for escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The missile was fired off North Korea’s east coast near its capital of Pyongyang and flew 354 miles before landing in the sea. Japanese Coast Guard reported that the missile had fallen less than 20 minutes after its launch.

South Korea criticized the launch as a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that have banned the North from using ballistic technologies.

North Korea’s Defense Ministry issued a statement shortly after the launch but did not mention the ballistic missile. The ministry criticized the U.S. for what it called a “reckless military threat” that was destabilizing the region, referring to the U.S. deployment of military assets, including strategic bombers and nuclear-powered submarines, to South Korea.

The North has test-fired more than 100 missiles since the start of 2022 as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used the distraction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to speed up the expansion of his military nuclear program, which he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.