DPRK fires short-range 'ballistic missiles' into waters

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off the east coast, the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Wednesday.

The JCS said in a statement that the ROK military detected two short-range ballistic missiles, which were launched toward the East Sea from a region in the DPRK's South Pyongan Province at 12:34 pm local time and 12:39 pm.

The missiles traveled about 800 kilometers at an altitude of around 60 km. Intelligence officials of the ROK and the United States were analyzing further details, the JCS said.

The JCS said the ROK military had increased surveillance, while closely cooperating with the US to maintain a posture of full readiness.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said the launches didn't pose an immediate threat to "US personnel or territory, or to our allies".

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said: "The firings threaten the peace and safety of Japan and the region and are absolutely outrageous. The government of Japan is determined to further step up our vigilance and surveillance to be prepared for any contingencies."

The missile launch came after the DPRK said on Monday that it had successfully test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile on Saturday and Sunday.

During a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, senior diplomats from Japan, the US and the ROK urged the DPRK to return to talks over its missile and nuclear development.

Many experts say the recent tests suggest Pyongyang is pushing to bolster its weapons arsenal while applying pressure on US President Joe Biden's administration amid a deadlock in nuclear diplomacy between the two rivals.

Pyongyang still maintains a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, a sign that it may not want to completely scuttle the nuclear negotiations with the US, The Associated Press said.

The office of ROK President Moon Jae-in said the government was planning to hold an unscheduled National Security Council meeting later on Wednesday.

Hours after Pyongyang's latest launches, Seoul said it had carried out its first underwater launched missile test.

Moon's office said in a statement that Moon observed the test of a domestically built submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday afternoon.

It said the missile fired from a 3,000-ton-class submarine flew a previously set distance before hitting a designated target.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.