North Korea launches ballistic missile

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FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2017, file photo, a man watches a TV screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, during a news program at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea. With all the verbal barbs flying between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump these days, China’s decision to send its most senior official to North Korea in more than two years could be a welcome opportunity to defuse the growing tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

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Last Updated Nov 28, 2017 2:10 PM EST

North Korea launched its latest ballistic missile Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed to CBS News correspondent David Martin. U.S. officials had been expecting either an intermediate or intercontinental range missile but are still assessing what kind was launched Tuesday.

A U.S. intelligence official told CBS News the U.S. “is not surprised” by the launch, and said there were “plenty” of recent “indications” of a possible launch.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap first reported the launch, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The report said the unidentified missile flew eastward and the South Korean military is analyzing details with the U.S.

Last week, the U.S. issued new sanctions on four Chinese trading companies and a Chinese national said to have conducted hundreds of millions of dollars in business with North Korea. The Treasury Department also designated six North Korean shipping and trading companies and 20 vessels in an effort to disrupt funding for the nation’s nuclear and missile programs.

This is a developing story and will be updated.