According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the missiles were launched at around 9:30 a.m. (local time) from the Kanggye area in Jagang Province, near the border with China. The missiles flew about 250 km before falling into the sea.

"We strongly condemn this missile launch, considering it a clear provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the JCS said.

South Korea's military warned North Korea not to "misjudge the situation" and pledged an "overwhelming response" if Pyongyang continued its provocations.

Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok condemned the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and said Seoul would take stern countermeasures.

The missile launch came just a week after North Korea announced the successful test of a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile, its first since November 5.

Notably, the incident occurred at the same time that Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya was visiting Seoul. During a meeting on January 13, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Mr. Iwaya condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development program and pledged to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

Previously, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while visiting Seoul, also called for increased bilateral and trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan to deal with the growing military threat from North Korea.

The latest missile launch comes just days before Donald Trump is officially inaugurated on January 20. During his first term, Trump held unprecedented summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and emphasized the good personal relationship between the two sides.

According to South Korean lawmakers briefed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), North Korea's recent series of weapons tests are aimed at "showing off its deterrence capabilities against the US" and "attracting Trump's attention", especially after Pyongyang vowed to take "the toughest anti-US countermeasure" at a policy meeting late last year.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters, JapanTimes)