North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles Into East Sea

Shortly after the United Nations placed harsh new sanctions on North Korea, Pyongyang launched a series of short-range missiles into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

The missiles were fired from the North Korean Wonsan naval base located on the eastern side of the peninsula at about 10:00 a.m. local time (01:30 GMT) on Thursday, Moon Sang-gyun, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said, as quoted by the South Korean Yonhap news agency.

?According to the Moon Sang-gyun, the exact number of missiles, as well as their type, have not been determined yet. The spokesperson added that all of the missiles fell into the sea.

The sanctions, implemented by the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, came in response to Pyongyang's nuclear bomb test in January, as well as its satellite launch last month.

These are the toughest sanctions placed on Pyongyang in the last 20 years. The United States also placed sanctions on a dozen individuals in response to North Korea's nuclear test.

"The international community, speaking with one voice, has sent Pyongyang a simple message: North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people," US President Barack Obama said in a statement.