N.Korea Fires More Missiles into East Sea

North Korea fired two more short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, just three days after firing another.

The launch seems to be a protest against ongoing joint South Korea-U.S. naval exercises and comes a day before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' scheduled visit to Seoul.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles from Sunan, Pyongyang into the East Sea at a 10-minute interval on Wednesday evening. Military authorities said they flew about 360 km at an altitude of about 30 km and a speed of Mach 6.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are analyzing their specifications. The South Korean military has intensified surveillance as another nuclear test seems imminent.

Wednesday's launch was the sixth since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office here.

South Korea and the U.S. are staging drills in the East Sea until Thursday for the first time in five years. The U.S. has mobilized the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

The missile launch seems to be "not only a response to the drills but also a warning about further provocations the North is going to launch," speculated Yoo Sung-ok, a former chief of the Institute for National Security Strategy. "It seems the North is testing ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads."