The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK) on Monday test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported.

The report quoted an unnamed government official as saying that the DPRK's military test-fired a missile with a range of 120 km early Monday. But the official said he does not think it has anything to do with the death of the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Il.

The test-firing might be conducted with an aim to improve its performance, the official said.

According to reports from the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Il died from "great mental and physical strain" at 08:30 a.m. on Dec. 17 (2330 GMT Friday) on a train during a field guidance tour.