Article Posted on : - Jul 09, 2014

SEOUL (AFP): North Korea on Wednesday fired two suspected short-range missiles off its eastern coast in the latest in a series of missile tests, South Korea said.

A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the North had fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles from its western province of Hwanghae into the Sea of Japan off its eastern coast.

"We suspect they were short-range ballistic missiles", the spokesman told AFP.

The latest test came after the North vowed last week to push ahead with further strategic guided-missile tests, defying international calls to curb its weapons programme.

North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests in the past week - seen by some as a display of pique with Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-day state visit to Seoul.

China is North Korea's sole major ally, but while Xi has met four times with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye - including at two summits - he has yet to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.