North Korea fired a series of short-range missiles into the East Sea Friday. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile launches are believed to be part of a routine exercise that North Korea has conducted annually on the east and the west coasts in the past.

A JCS official said the missiles were fired from the North's east coast into the East Sea. He did not rule out the possibility that the North's missile test was in response to South Korea's launch of its first Aegis-class destroyer on the same day.

The Unification Ministry says the North's latest missile firing would not negatively affect the inter-Korean relations. A ministry official said the upcoming Cabinet-level talks would also take place Tuesday as scheduled, citing the North's commitment to do so at a South-North liaison officers' contact at the truce village of Panumunjeom Friday.

In Washington, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe played down the North's missile test, calling it "a routine exercise that they do from time to time."

In Tokyo, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "extremely regrettable," but said his government does not consider it a serious threat to Japan's national security.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said that the missiles were short-range, and that they were neither Nodong nor Daepodong-Ones. Kyodo News Agency in Tokyo said the missiles were launched from South Hamgyeong Province and are considered modified silkworm or miniaturized Scuds with a range of 100 to 200 kilometers.

North Korea test-fired a series of missiles in July last year, including the long-range Daepodong-Two, which American officials say could reach parts of the United States.