North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles, says Seoul

North Korea on Friday fired several short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea, a day after Seoul and the US conducted joint drills in the region.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported detecting presumed short-range missile launches near the eastern port city of Wonsan at 3.10 p.m. local time (0610GMT) traveling about 300 kilometers (186 miles) through the airspace above the East Sea.

The South Korean military condemned the act as provocative, promising a strong response and increased monitoring, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

This follows a previous firing of super-large shells by North Korea in April, part of tactical drills led by the country's leader Kim Jong-un.

The missile launch also followed joint combat drills involving South Korean F-35A fighter jets and US F-22 Raptors warplanes over South Korea, apparently to counter North Korean military advancements.

Concurrently, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping denounced the US and allied military intimidation against North Korea during their Beijing summit.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, meanwhile, denied military collaboration with Moscow, stressing that North Korea's weaponry targets South Korea exclusively.