SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired short-range projectiles into the sea for a second consecutive day Friday in an apparent protest against ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills, South Korean officials said.

Four projectiles with a range of 140 kilometers (87 miles) were fired into waters off North Korea’s west coast on Friday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said North Korea also fired the same type of short-range projectile on Thursday.

It said the projectiles were seen as a protest against the military drills, which North Korea says are a rehearsal for an invasion.

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South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly said the drills are defensive in nature. The drills began early last month and are to end on April 24.

North Korea usually responds to South Korea-U.S. drills with its own military training involving missile and rocket launches. South Korean officials said North Korea fired missiles into the sea at least two times last month.

Earlier this year, North Korea said it was willing to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington canceled the drills. The U.S. rejected the offer.

The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea in a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.