North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, just hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a rail line he hopes will eventually connect the divided Korean peninsula.

North Korea’s first launch since October underscored leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year vow to bolster the military to counter an unstable international situation amid stalled talks with South Korea.

The presumed missile was fired around 8:10am (2310 GMT) from an inland location, over the east coast and into the sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Hours later, Moon visited the South Korean east coast city of Goseong, near the border with the North, where he broke ground for a new rail line that he called “a stepping stone for peace and regional balance” on the peninsula.