North Korea Fires Flurry of Short-Range Ballistic Missiles

North Korea fired multiple types of short-range ballistic missiles on May 8, South Korea's military said, around a week after leader Kim Jong Un tested a new weapons system for his latest warship.

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SEOUL -

Seoul's military said it had "detected the launch of various types of short-range ballistic missiles", the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The missiles were "fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea into the East Sea between approximately 8.10am and 9.20am today", the military added, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

The missiles flew up to about 800km before splashing down in waters to the east of the peninsula, the JCS said, adding that it strongly condemned the North for a "clear act of provocation that poses a serious threat to peace and stability".

"Our military, under the strong South Korea-US combined defence posture, is closely monitoring various North Korean activities to prevent any misjudgment (by the North)", it said in a statement.

The launch, the nuclear-armed North's first missile test since March, came about a week after Mr Kim oversaw the test-firing of a new warship weapons system.

Pyongyang unveiled the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon in April. It claims the vessel is equipped with the "most powerful weapons", and would "enter into operation early next year".