North Korea launches two medium-range ballistic missiles

South Korea and Japan said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula on Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday that the two missiles were medium-range ballistic missiles that flew about 500 km.

Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Inoue said the two North Korean missiles appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, and there were no reports of casualties.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, "The two ballistic missiles from North Korea were launched at an acute angle and landed in the East Sea."

"Intelligence services in South Korea and the United States are conducting a comprehensive analysis, considering the factors behind the latest trends in North Korea's missile development," the statement added.

South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that a meeting of the country's National Security Council was held after North Korea fired the two missiles and "strongly condemned" the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.

The presidential office added that the North continues provocations and develops nuclear weapons and missiles, exposing the regime in North Korea to additional risks.

Bloomberg News quoted the US Indo-Pacific Command as saying in a statement that it was aware of North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles.

The command added that while this did not pose a direct threat to the United States, it "highlights the destabilizing effect that" North Korea's weapons program poses.

The launch of the two missiles comes just days after North Korea tested a solid-fuel engine with a high thrust that experts said would allow for faster and easier launch of ballistic missiles, as it seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and accelerate its nuclear and missile programmes.

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