North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off the east coast hours before South Korea staged a large military show displaying stealth fighters and its own missiles.
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Pyongyang's fourth launch in a week comes amid a flurry of military muscle-flexing by countries in the region, including joint anti-submarine exercises on Friday by the navies of South Korea, the United States and Japan.
US Vice President Kamala Harris visited the region this week, meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Thursday.
The rival Koreas are in a regional arms race that has seen a major increase in weapons and military spending.
Marking South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day, Yoon condemned what he called recent military provocations by the North and vowed to strengthen joint military drills with the US.
"The government will further strengthen the Korea-US joint exercises, will respond strongly to North Korean provocations and threats by showing them the Alliance in Action," Yoon said in a televised speech.
Yoon joined military officials to observe a major show of advanced weaponry, including multiple rocket launchers, ballistic missiles, main battle tanks, drones and F-35 fighter aircraft.
The US military demonstrated fighter jets and attack aircraft. Images of the event showed Yoon saluting from the back of a convertible car while driving by rows of tanks and other weapons.
Japan's Defense Ministry said in a report in July the North had been launching short-range missiles that fly low and irregular trajectories, characteristics observed since May 2019 that are likely designed for higher war-fighting effectiveness.
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on the North for its ballistic missile and nuclear tests. Pyongyang rejects such moves as infringement of its sovereign right to self-defence and space exploration.
The North has completed preparations for a nuclear test, a window which could open between China's Communist Party Congress in October and US mid-term elections in November, South Korean MPs said on Wednesday.
Saturday's two short-range missiles were launched from Sunan, north of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
It estimated the range at 350 kilometres at 30km altitude and speed of Mach 6.
Japan's coast guard also reported at least two suspected ballistic missile tests by Pyongyang. The missiles flew 400km and 350km, reaching an altitude of 50km, Japan's State Minister of Defence Toshiro Ino said.
Tokyo has lodged a protest against the North through diplomatic channels, Ino said, adding the missiles possibly flew an "irregular trajectory" designed to evade missile defence.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the ballistic missile launches and assessed they did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory or to its allies.
North Korea fired missiles before and after Harris's visit to South Korea, extending a record pace in weapons testing this year as it increases the threat of a credible nuclear power that can strike the United States and its allies.
Pyongyang also conducted the first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017.
Australian Associated Press
