North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles believed to be of Scud variations into the East Sea early Sunday, the South Korean military said.
"North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles on two occasions, first at around 1:20 a.m. and then around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday," South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) quoted an official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul as saying.
"The missiles were fired from the northern part of the southern border city of Kaesong, about just 20 kilometers from the military demarcation line (MDL)," he said. "We estimate their ranges to be about 500 kilometers," he added.
The official said it was "highly unusual" for the North to fire missiles from a place so close to the MDL and that the South Korean military has stepped up its vigilance against additional launches and is in a state of full readiness.
This marked the 14th time the North has launched rockets in 2014, the sixth ballistic missile launch this year and second missile firing in five days.