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May 9 (UPI) -- North Korea fired another round of short-range missiles over waters off the eastern coast of the peninsula. The South Korean military confirmed late Thursday, local time, the missiles were launched from Kusong in the northwest, at 4:29 and at 4:39 p.m., Yonhap reported.
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The first missile flew about 260 miles and the second fell into the East Sea after traveling a distance of about 170 miles, Seoul's joint chiefs of staff said.
The altitude of the missiles exceeded 30 miles, according to South Korean news service Newsis.
The provocation comes a few days after North Korea launched multiple projectiles early Saturday.
The launches coincide with the visit of U.S. Special Envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun to the South.
South Korean television network MBC reported North Korea is sending a signal to the United States regarding a deadline for denuclearization talks. Pyongyang could also be indicating Seoul's offer of humanitarian assistance is not enough for Kim Jong Un, who is seeking relief from international sanctions, according to Newsis.
More North Korea sanctions could follow the most recent test, however.
North Korea ballistic tests are a violation of United Nations sanctions Resolution 1718, adopted in 2006. The U.N. Security Council has a history of hitting Pyongyang with sanctions in response to banned tests.
North Korea's test on Saturday was met with a muted response from the United States and South Korea, and both sides avoided the use of the term "ballistic missile" to describe the tests over the weekend.
A U.S. or South Korea move to change the language and define the "projectiles" as missiles could lead to actions from the international community that could include more sanctions.
The Security Council did not place sanctions on North Korea in previous cases of midrange ballistic missile tests, including the Hwasong-12 and the Pukguksong-2 in 2015.
