The presidential office has downplayed North Korea's test-firing of anti-ship missiles on Thursday.

It said the government views the test-firing as part of "normal military training," adding that it will continue to watch the situation carefully.

Presidential Spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told a news briefing Friday the government believes Pyongyang doesn't want inter-Korean relations to deteriorate either.

Meanwhile, a Choeng Wa Dae official said President Lee Myung-bak was briefed on the North Korean missile launches while presiding over a meeting of his senior aides, but he didn't show any unusual response.