North Korea fired five
short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, South
Korea's military said, amid heightened tension over the isolated country's
nuclear and rocket programs.
The unidentified projectiles
were launched from south of the city of Hamhung and flew about 200 km (120
miles), landing in waters east of North Korea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of
Staff said in a statement.
On Friday, North Korea fired
two mid-range ballistic missiles into the sea in defiance of tough new U.N. and
U.S. sanctions slapped on the country following nuclear and rocket tests
earlier this year.
In recent weeks, North Korea
has stepped up its bellicose rhetoric, threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes
against Washington and Seoul and firing short-range missiles and artillery into
the sea.
The North protests annual
ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
said last week that the country would soon test a nuclear warhead and ballistic
missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads in what would be a direct
violation of U.N. resolutions that have the backing of Pyongyang's chief ally,
China.