North Korea's testing spree indicates its leader, Kim Jong Un, has no intention of resuming diplomacy with the US and wants to focus on expanding his weapons arsenal.
Another ballistic missile launch by North Korea has been condemned as"serious provocation that harms peace".
The South Korean military said a pair of short-range ballistic missiles were detected overnight on Saturday, flying towards its eastern waters - the latest in the country's barrage of weapons tests in recent days. The launch, the North's sixth round of weapons tests in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea finished a new round of naval drills off the Korean Peninsula's east coast. The drills involvedNorth Korea's military defended its recent missile tests as a"righteous reaction" to what it labelled intimidating military drills.
North Korea regards US-South Korean military exercises as an invasion rehearsal and is especially sensitive if such drills involve US strategic assets like an aircraft carrier.The country has argued it was forced to pursue a nuclear weapons programme to cope with US nuclear threats, though US and South Korean officials have repeatedly said they have no intentions of attacking the North.