N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) toward the East Sea on March 14, Seoul's military said, a day after South Korea and the United States kicked off a regular military exercise.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Jangyon area in South Hwanghae Province between 7:41 a.m. and 7:51 a.m., and they flew some 620 kilometers, Yonhap reports.

The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are conducting a comprehensive analysis of the specifics of the missiles, according to the JCS.

"We strongly condemn the North's series of ballistic missile launches as an act of significant provocation that harms peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the international community, and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

It also urged the North to immediately stop such launches.

"While normally conducting the combined exercise under the firm combined defense posture, our military will track and monitor North Korean movements to see if there is a possibility of additional provocations," the JCS said.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said that the North's missile launches highlight the "destabilizing" impact of the North's "unlawful" weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

"The US commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad," the command said in a press release, referring to South Korea by its official name.

The latest launch came after the North fired what it claimed to be two "strategic cruise missiles" from a submarine Sunday and conducted a "fire assault drill" three days earlier.