SEOUL, Oct. 31 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired off unidentified projectile toward the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday.

The JCS said in a statement that the projectile was launched in the afternoon, without elaborating further.

It noted that the South Korean military was closely monitoring relevant situations and maintaining defense posture in preparation for possible additional launches.

The latest projectile launch by the DPRK was conducted on Oct. 2 when South Korea saw it as a Pukkuksong-type of submarine-launched ballistic missile.