TEMPO.CO, Seoul – North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. According to South Korean Defense Ministry, the missiles were fired from North Korea’s west coast into the sea around 6:30 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. on Monday.

They were fired from an area near Nampo City, located about 60 kilometers southwest of Pyongyang. “The two projectiles were estimated to have flown about 490 kilometers (304 miles) before falling into the sea east of the peninsula,” said a South Korean official.

“Considering the speed, altitude and distance the missiles traveled, they are assumed to be Scud-Cs,” said the South Korean Defense Ministry.

The missiles were fired as the United States and South Korea began its annual military drills, called Foal Eagle and Key Reserve, that have sparked tension between North Korea, South Korea and the United States.

KCNA, North Korea’s state-run media, said the drills were “nothing but a smokescreen” by the United States and South Korea “to cover up their surprise invasion of the north”.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is again inching close to the brink of a war," KCNA said, adding that North Korea's military "will never remain a passive onlooker in this grave situation."

South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok said the north had been notified about the military drills on February 24.

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