SEOUL, South Korea, May 8, (AP): North Korea on Thursday fired various types of short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, adding to a run in military displays that raised animosities in the region. South Korean military officials were analyzing whether the tests were linked to the North’s weapons exports to Russia during its war in Ukraine.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple missiles were launched from the area around the eastern port city of Wonsan from about 8:10 to 9:20 am, with the farthest traveling about 800 kilometers (497 miles). It didn’t immediately confirm the exact number of the missiles it detected. Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs, said in a briefing the North Korean launches were possibly intended to test the performance of weapons it plans to export, as the country continues to send military equipment and troops to fuel Russia’s warfighting against Ukraine.

Lee said the tests likely involved a short-range ballistic missile system launched from vehicles - possibly modeled after Russia’s Iskander missile - and also large-caliber rocket artillery systems, which experts say blur the line between traditional artillery and ballistic systems due to their self-propulsion and guided flight. The Joint Chiefs said South Korean and US intelligence authorities detected the launch preparations in advance and tracked the missiles after they were launched.

The countries were sharing the launch information with Japan, the Joint Chiefs said. It issued a statement denouncing the launches as a "clear act of provocation” that threatens peace and stability in the region. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that none of the North Korean missiles reached Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there was no damage to vessels or aircraft in the area. Nakatani said Japan’s government "sternly protested and strongly condemned” the launches through the North Korean embassy in Beijing.

It was the North’s first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country’s sixth launch event of the year. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program and supply weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.