SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast into the sea, South Korea's military said on Wednesday.

A South Korean defense ministry official told Xinhua that the DPRK test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at about 5:30 a.m. local time (2030 GMT Tuesday) off the eastern coastal town of Sinpo in South Hamgyeong province into the East Sea.

The official said the DPRK's SLBM technology appeared to have advanced compared with previous launches as the ballistic missile flew about 500 km.

The launch came after South Korea and the United States began their annual military drills on Monday.