South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) has assessed two projectiles fired by North Korea on Thursday morning as short-range missiles. 

The JCS said that the North fired one unidentified projectile at 5:34 a.m. and another at 5:57 a.m. from near the east coast city of Wonsan into the East Sea. 

A JCS official said that one missile flew around 430 kilometers and the other appeared to travel a bit farther based upon an analysis by the United States. Both missiles appear to have reached an apogee of around 50 kilometers.

The official added that the missiles appeared to have been fired from a transporter erector launcher.

Given the flight range and altitude, analysts say the projectiles appear similar to two short-range missiles test-fired by the North on May 9, which flew 420 kilometers and 270 kilometers, respectively, before landing in the East Sea. 

Some experts suggest Thursday’s projectiles may be KN-23 ballistic missiles, a North Korean variant of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile.  

The JCS said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities continue to analyze the details of the short-range missiles, and that the South Korean military is closely monitoring the situation in case of additional launches while maintaining a readiness posture.

[Photo : YONHAP News]