South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said on Saturday that North Korea appears to have fired the same type of short-range missiles during its two weapons tests last month.

The minister, who is visiting Singapore for an annual regional security forum, made the remarks during a press briefing.

Jeong said that South Korea sees the weapons the North Korea fired on May 4 and 9 as nearly the same type, though it is analyzing some differences.

It is the first time that Seoul has described what the North fired on May 4 as missiles. It had used the term "new type of tactical guided weapons," while refusing to confirm if they are missiles or not.

The minister, however, maintained the military's earlier position that more analysis is needed to verify if the short-range missiles were ballistic or not.

He said that some have pointed out that they appear to be the same type and have many similarities as Russia's Iskander, but clearly there are some differences.