The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) has reaffirmed its assessment that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast earlier on Wednesday.

JCS spokesperson Kim Joon-rak told reporters Thursday that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities believe that the weapons North Korea tested on Wednesday demonstrated characteristics that appear to suggest they are a new kind of short-range ballistic missile.

South Korea's military had previously described the projectiles as short-range ballistic missiles some three-and-a-half hours after they were launched.

The North's state-run media has been less specific about the projectiles, saying only that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test firing of a "new-type large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system."

It is not yet clear if the missiles are the same short-range ballistic missiles the North fired last Thursday. Experts speculate last week's missiles were North Korea's variant of the Russian Iskander missile, called the KN-23.

[Photo : YONHAP News]