Seoul, South Korea ? North Korea test-fired an anti-ship missile Monday off its east coast as President Bush and other leaders opened an Asian summit, the communist country’s latest military exercise amid tensions over its nuclear program.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday declined to further identify the type of missile, but said North Korea has fired the same type two or three times this year. U.S. officials are more concerned about North Korea’s efforts to develop a missile that could reach the United States.

“The land-to-ship missile North Korea test-fired today is seen as part of its annual exercise,” said a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

Today, Japan said it suspected that North Korea may have test-fired a missile off its eastern coast for a second straight day. The government said it was trying to confirm the information.

Monday’s test came as Bush, meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, promoted a plan in which the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea would jointly give North Korea written assurances it wouldn’t be attacked, in exchange for its promise to dismantle its nuclear program.

Senior Bush administration officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said they’d concluded the missile test was a deliberately provocative action intended to grab attention.

On Sunday, Bush dismissed North Korea’s demand the United States sign a nonaggression pact in exchange for nuclear concessions.

Monday’s launch was the first by North Korea since a reported test in April. Tensions have risen in the region since last October, when Washington said North Korea admitted having a clandestine nuclear program.