Military officials said the projectiles were launched at 06:45 and 07:02 local time (21:45 and 22:02 GMT Friday) from the eastern town of Sondok in South Hamgyong Province. "The missiles had flown about 380 km (235 miles) with a maximum speed of "Mach 6.5 or higher" and an apogee of 97 km", Japanese Defense Ministry said.
"North Korea's repeated launches of projectiles and missiles indicate that the country is working on developing this technology", Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.
With the completion of 10-day military drills between the USA and South Korea that the North considers rehearsal for an invasion, the rogue nation had been expected to halt weapons tests, the Associated Press reported. The North is believed to use these launches to test new types of short-range missiles, including its versions of the Iskander and the U.S.' Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
Officials and experts say the weapons tested recently include versions of the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System and the Russian Iskander, which are created to evade U.S. and South Korean missile defenses.
"The U.S.is sadly mistaken if it still thinks of standing in confrontation with (North Korea) with sanctions, not dropping its confrontational stand", he said.
Instead, the North on Friday criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for insisting that the Trump administration will maintain tough economic sanctions amid diplomatic efforts to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons.
The launches came after the USA and South Korea ended their regular military drills earlier this week.
Today's test risks further widening the gap between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, after the historic meeting between the two leaders in the village of Panmunjom in late June.
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"Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me", Trump told reporters outside the White House. Those talks have been stalled since the Hanoi summit between Trump and Kim in February.
The move drew attention as it is the first such case following South Korea's decision, announced Thursday, to terminate the pact after Japan's extended export curbs on South Korea in apparent retaliation against Seoul's top court ruling on wartime forced labor.
The launch is the seventh carried out since North Korea ended a 17-month hiatus on testing at the end of July.
Sul Hoon, a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said the visit is created to check on facilities on the islands and encourage security forces stationed there. He said he was "proud to step over the line".
The South Korean and US intelligence authorities conducted "detailed analysis of precise specifications". "We are consulting closely with our Japanese and South Korean allies".
It comes just a week after Kim Jong-un approved the launch of two separate missiles over the same area. On June 30, he once again emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean dictator. During their surprise meeting in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom at the end of June, Trump and Kim agreed to resume nuclear talks, and the USA has suggested working-level dialogue.
Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse over nuclear talks, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough.
Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival.
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