South Korea’s presidential office has expressed strong concern that a series of missile launches by North Korea in recent days will have a negative impact on efforts to build lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

The concerns were relayed during a meeting of the top office’s National Security Council(NSC) on Wednesday, just hours after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles from its east coast.

National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong and other NSC standing committee members vowed to continue diplomatic efforts to carry forward the momentum created by last month's historic DMZ meeting among the leaders of South and North Korea and the United States. They also said they would work toward the resumption of negotiations to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said the North fired two short-range missiles from the Kalma area near the coastal city of Wonsan, which flew about 250 kilometers before falling into the East Sea.

The launches come less than a week after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from near the same area into the East Sea in what were the first weapons provocations in nearly three months.

[Photo : YONHAP News]