Japan's state broadcaster said North Korea had test-fired a missile today, but South Korea said it had no evidence of a second launch by Pyongyang.
NHK television said the communist North had apparently launched a short-range surface-to-ship missile, following a test-firing yesterday that US officials said was an attempt to steal the limelight from a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders in Bangkok, Thailand.
But South Korea, which seeks to keep ties with its communist neighbour on an even keel, said it had no immediate proof of a second test launch, although there were conflicting signals about the likelihood.
"Our system did not spot any missile launch today by North Korea," Mr Kim Hyung-kyu, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs, said. "So, according to our analysis, the report is not true."
A spokesman for the South Korean Defence Ministry said it had been unable to confirm the report.
In Tokyo, Japan's Defence Agency said it had received a report "that North Korea may have fired a surface-to-ship missile from its east coast this morning".
"We don't know the details but, as far as we know, missiles of this type have a range of 100 km," a spokesman said.
US President George W. Bush and other Asia-Pacific leaders ended their Bangkok summit this morning by vowing to "eliminate the severe and growing danger posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery".