UPDATE - North Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, CHANGES DECK

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles Thursday toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea's military.

The launch marked Pyongyang's first ballistic missile test since March, Yonhap News reported.

The missiles flew up to 800 kilometers (497 miles) before landing in the sea.

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said it detected the launch, "likely" involving multiple short-range ballistic missiles, from North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 8.10 a.m. local time (2310GMT Wednesday).

"Our military has bolstered surveillance against an additional launch and maintains a full readiness posture while closely sharing information on the North's ballistic missiles with the United States and Japan," the JCS said in a statement.

- South Korea, Japan, US condemn missile launches

South Korea, the US, and Japan condemned the missile launches by Pyongyang.

Japanese Foreign Ministry official Okochi Akihiro and South Korean Foreign Ministry official Kim Heun jin, during a phone talk, "strongly condemned the launches, calling them "a threat to the peace and security of the region and the international community."

The two sides also "reaffirmed close coordination among Japan, the US and the South Korea," said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Washington also condemned the launches and called on Pyongyang to "refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts."

The latest launch came after North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on March 10 as South Korea and the US launched their joint springtime military exercise.

*Aamir Latif contributed to the story from Pakistan