North Korea test-fired a cruise missile this morning in an apparent move by the communist state to press for nuclear talks with the United States.
But the United States has indicated it is in no hurry to talk to Pyongyang.
It wants to keep the nuclear standoff with North Korea from complicating its buildup for a potential war with Iraq.
Seoul and Washington had anticipated the isolated North's second missile test in two weeks since Pyongyang declared a maritime exclusion zone in the Sea of Japan from March 8th to 11th.
"The missile was fired around noon [3 a.m. Irish Time] today into the Sea of Japan, and we judged it was the same type as was test-fired on February 24," a Seoul Defence Ministry spokesman said.
The anti-ship missile North Korea fired into the same waters two weeks earlier was thought to be a version of a Chinese Silkworm missile.
The latest firing caused South Korea's stock markets to dip, adding to fears voiced on Monday by a Seoul private-sector think-tank that a prolonged nuclear crisis and any protracted Iraq war would slash growth prospects this year for Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Last week, a Pentagon official said Washington was "not overly concerned" about the expected repeat launch.