North Korea fires short-range missiles into sea off its east coast as South Korea, US conduct drills

North Korea has fired several several unidentified short-range missiles to the sea off its coast early on Saturday. It seems that these unidentified projectiles are the latest weapons tests for the country that has been rapidly expanding its nuclear weapons and missile program.

South Korea and the U.S. military said, as the two allies conducted annual joint military drills that the North denounces as preparation for war.

The US military's Pacific Command said that it had detected three short-range ballistic missiles, fired over a 20 minute period. All of the missiles failed, with one blowing up almost immediately after launch, while two others failed in flight, it added.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said today that the projectiles were fired from an area from the North's easterncoast and flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles). The JCS says the South Korea and US militaries were analysing the launch.

The launch comes weeks after North Korea created a tense standoff with the United States by threatening to lob some ofits missiles toward Guam. Pacific Command said the missiles did not pose a threat to the U.S. mainland or to the Pacific territory of Guam, which North Korea had threatened earlier this month to surround in a "sea of fire".

North Korea also successfully flight-tested a pair of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July that analysts saycould reach deep into the US mainland when perfected.