North Korea has fired short-range missiles in the West Sea.

A South Korean official says the North fired what are presumed to be several short-range missiles at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Military authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

North Korea banned all civilian ships from waters off Nampo port from Tuesday morning until noon Wednesday, apparently preparing for the missile launches.

A 150-ton patrol boat was on stand-by in the area at the time. It was equipped with Styx anti-ship guided missiles, which have a range of 46 kilometers.

But North Korea did not launch any missiles Wednesday.