South Korean military claimed that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles yesterday (Thursday, June 15) as tensions in the region intensified.

It comes after the North issued a chilling warning in response to the joint military drills between the US and South Korea.

The joint military forces have increased their defence cooperation and are carrying out large-scale live-fire "annihilation" exercises.

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It is due to the increased nuclear threats from Pyongyang, reported News.com.au.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the launch of "two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area into the East Sea between 19:25 and 19:37 (1025 to 1037 GMT)," referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

A statement by the military reads: "We have stepped up monitoring in case of further provocations and are maintaining readiness in close coordination with the United States”.

Tokyo also confirmed the missile launches, with a defence ministry official telling reporters that the two missiles had landed in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japan's top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters: "The missiles may have flown on irregular trajectories,".

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They added that one of the missiles reached 850 kilometres (530 miles) and the other around 900 kilometres before landing in Japan's EEZ.

In a shared statement, the US, South Korea, and Japan slammed the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Adding it demonstrated the threat "unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to the region."

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The tension between the North and South has been worsening over the past few years, with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un describing the launch as “inevitable”.

North Korea has previously slammed the joint military drills, claiming it was escalating military tensions in the region.

"Our response to this is inevitable," the defence ministry said in a statement Thursday carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "Our armed forces will fully counter any form of demonstrative moves and provocation of the enemies."

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