N. Korea fires ballistic missiles for 4th time in 1 week

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early Saturday, South Korea's military said, marking the fourth round of such test in a week.

South Korea's military said it had "detected two short-range missiles between 0645 and 0703 fired from the Sunan area in Pyongyang into the East Sea."

"The military is maintaining the utmost readiness in close coordination with the United States," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The North Korean missiles appear to have flown in irregular trajectories, which experts say make them difficult to track and intercept.

Japan and US react

Japanese deputy defense minister, Toshiro Ino, called the missile launches "one-sidedly and persistently escalating provocations."

"North Korea's actions threaten the peace and safety not only for Japan but also the region and the international community, and are absolutely impermissible," Ino said.

Washington said the tests do not pose a threat to US personnel, territory or to allies. But the launched highlight "the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula

The launches come at a time when tensions are heightened as South Korea, Japan and the US held their first joint anti-submarine drills in five years off the Korean Peninsula's east coast.

This was preceded by South Korean and US ships conducting naval exercises in the area for four days. 

The reclusive nuclear-armed state views these drills as a threat and has often responded by conducting its weapons tests.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was on a visit to Seoul, reiterated her country's "ironclad" commitment to South Korea's defense against the North in Seoul on Thursday.

Pyongyang responded with several missile launches, including a round just hours after Harris flew out of South Korea.

Washington had also sent the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to South Korea before Harris' visit in a show of force against Pyongyang.

Officials in both Washington and Seoul believe that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is gearing for a nuclear test after five years.

ss/fb (AP, AFP, Reuters)