North Korea has launched what is believed to be a pair of missiles off its east coast, falling somewhere near Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to a report in South Korean media and the Japanese Coast Guard.

The unidentified projectiles – presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles – were fired early on Saturday morning, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Japan’s Coast Guard also noted that the missiles appear to have landed in the ocean somewhere beyond its territorial waters.

The launch took place around 6:45am local time, with the munitions traveling some 410km (255 miles) before falling, Seoul’s military said, slamming the North for what it called a “very inappropriate” demonstration.

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If confirmed, the apparent missile test would be Pyongyang’s third since the beginning of the year, and comes weeks after the United States and South Korea were forced to postpone joint military exercises in late February due to the spread of the lethal coronavirus. North Korea has yet to report a single case of the illness.

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