ISTANBUL

North Korea fired an unspecified number of cruise missiles off its eastern coast on Wednesday, said South Korean military officials.

The launches mark the fifth time this year that Pyongyang has fired such missiles.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang fired the missiles around 9 a.m. (0000GMT) off the coast of the city of Wonsan, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Wonsan, previously known as Wonsanjin, is a port city and naval base located in North Korea’s Kangwon province.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the US to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations,” said the Joint Chiefs of Staff.