By Hyonhee Shin and Chang-Ran Kim SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) – North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, underscoring leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year vow to bolster the military to counter an unstable international situation. Japan’s coast guard, which first reported the launch, said it could be a ballistic missile, while the country’s defence minister later said it had flown about 500 km (310 miles). “Since last year, North Korea has repeatedly launched missiles, which is very regrettable,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. South Korea’s Joi…

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