“We express a strong regret and again call for immediate suspension of actions that heightens tension,” he added.
General Jeong said the two short-range projectiles, fired at 4:59 p.m. local time, had a maximum flight distance of about 380 kilometers (236 miles) and an altitude of 97 kilometers (60 miles).
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country had not confirmed that the missiles landed in Japan’s marine zone, the area officially known as Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone.
“But the multiple ballistic missiles launched by North Korea are a serious threat to the international community,” Abe said.
The Prime Minister said Japan held a national security meeting on Thursday and continued to be “in close contact with the US, South Korea, and the international community to monitor the situation and to protect the safety and assets of the Japanese people.”
Those launches preceded the flurry of summit diplomacy between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.
Washington and Seoul postponed military drills scheduled for mid-November in an attempt to convince North Korea to return to the negotiating table, but Pyongyang rebuffed those efforts and went ahead with its own drills.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper called North Korea’s response “disappointing,” but said he did not “regret trying to take the high road, if you will, and keep the door open for peace and diplomacy if we can move the ball forward.”