North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of tests of its weapons as its rivals, South Korea and the United States, conducted joint military exercises.

North Korea fired the missiles at around 10:15 a.m. from its South Hamgyong province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

It was not immediately clear how many projectiles were fired and exactly which type they were.