Seoul: North Korea fires missile 2 days after ICBM test

The weapons firings follow an intercontinental ballistic missile launch Saturday and North Korea's threats to take an unprecedented strong response to the U.S.-South Korean military drills

In its second weapons test in three days, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Monday, rekindling regional animosities over U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

The weapons firings follow an intercontinental ballistic missile launch Saturday and North Korea's threats to take an unprecedented strong response to the drills. A new testing spree also allows North Korea to expand its arsenals amid stalled talks with its rivals and eventually use the boosted military capability as leverage to try to wrest bigger concessions from the United States.

South Korea detected the two missile launches from a western coastal town, just north of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Monday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

It said South Korea has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Japan's Defense Ministry said both missiles landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It said Japan condemned the launches as a threat to the peace and safety of Japan and the international society.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said the first missile reached the maximum altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) and flew as far as 400 kilometers (250 miles). It said the second missile reached about 50 kilometers (30 miles) in altitude and flew a distance of 350 kilometers (217 miles).

North Korea's state media said its long-range artillery units on its western coast fired two rounds cross-country toward the eastern waters on Monday morning, possibly referring to the same activity its neighbors said were missile launches. The official Korean Central News Agency said the North Korean artillery rounds simulated strikes on targets up to 395 kilometers (245 miles) away.