North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday morning, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of launches, which coincided with military exercises between the United States and South Korea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from North Hwanghae province and traveled a distance of about 370 kilometers.
Japanese media quoted the Japanese coast guard as saying that the missiles landed in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's military "strongly" condemned the launch, calling it a serious provocation in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and called for its immediate cessation.
"We will closely monitor North Korea's various activities, maintaining a strong readiness posture based on the ability to respond significantly to any provocations," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that it would continue military exercises with the United States as scheduled.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office said it had ordered officials to collect and analyze information related to the launch and ensure the safety of planes and ships.
The launch was the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea, which included the launch of several cruise missiles on
Wednesday in a test that Pyongyang said was intended to train tactical nuclear attacks.