DPRK fires 2 short-range projectiles off east coast: ROK

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday fired two unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast, according to the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The projectiles were launched at 8:01 am and 8:16 am local time each from the DPRK's eastern coastal county of Tongchon into the East Sea.

They flew about 230 km at an altitude of some 30 km and a maximum speed of Mach 6.1 or higher.

The JCS said in a statement that the projectiles were under precision analysis by the intelligence authorities of the ROK and the United States.

It noted that the ROK's military was closely monitoring relevant situations and maintaining a firm readiness posture.

The Friday projectile launch was the first in six days and the sixth in three weeks. The DPRK fired off a total of eight projectiles this year.

It came amid the ongoing ROK-US joint military exercises that kicked off on Aug 5. The DPRK denounced the joint military drills as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion.

Right after the DPRK's test-firings, Chung Eui-yong, a top national security adviser for ROK President Moon Jae-in, held an emergency meeting of the National Security Office (NSO), according to the presidential Blue House.

The NSO urged the DPRK to stop firing short-range projectiles in protest against the ROK-US joint military drills as the launches can escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.