North Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles, Seoul says

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on May 17, South Korea's military said, the latest in series of weapon tests carried out by Pyongyang in recent months, Report informs referring to Reuters.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from the east coast town of Wonsan, while Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported a short-range missile appeared to have been launched and had already fallen, citing a government official.

North Korea has launched ballistic and cruise missiles as well as tactical rockets in recent months, describing them as part of a program to upgrade its defensive capabilities.