N.Korea fires ballistic missiles as Pyongyang dismisses Seoul's diplomacy hopes

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul's hopes of an easing in tensions.



South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8:50 a.m. from near Wonsan on the North's east coast.



The missiles flew 240 km (150 miles), the JCS said, adding that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of the launch. South Korea's military also said it had detected the launch of a suspected ballistic missile from near Pyongyang on Tuesday.



South Korea's presidential Blue House convened an emergency National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, calling the launches a provocation that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to media reports.It urged Pyongyang to end such tests.