South Korea says North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles

North Korea on Thursday has fired two short-range missiles into the sea from its east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

A JCS official further said that North Korea launched the missiles from the coastal city of Wonsan with one flying about 430 km (267 miles) and the other 690 km (428 miles) out over the sea.

The firing of the missiles will cast new doubt on efforts to restart denuclearisation talks after Trump and Kim met at the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas at the end of June.

It also comes after anger from the North over planned military exercises between South Korea and the US, an annual event. The North warned they could affect the resumption of denuclearisation talks.

The first missile was launched at about 05:34 Thursday local time (20:34 GMT Wednesday) and the second at 05:57, said the JCS.

Initial reports said both missiles travelled about 430km, reaching an altitude of 50km, before falling into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launches did not reach Japanese waters and had no immediate impact on its national security.

“We have confirmed that the situation is not one that impacts our country’s national security. Going forward, we will work closely with the United States,” Abe was quoted as telling reporters in a town west of Tokyo, where he is vacationing.

It is not clear if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw Thursday's launch.