AKIPRESS.COM - North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, Time reported referring to South Korea and the U.S. officials.

The launch of the Rodong missiles – for the first time since 2009 – violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and marks a big escalation from a series of shorter-range rocket launches the North has staged in recent weeks to protest ongoing annual military drills by the U.S. and South Korea that Pyongyang claims are invasion preparation.

The missiles flew about 650 kilometers off North Korea’s east coast early Wednesday morning, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said. It wasn’t immediately clear where the missiles splashed down. Kim said the missiles were likely fired from a mobile launcher.

The North’s arsenal of an estimated 300 Rodong missiles could in theory be fitted with nuclear warheads – once Pyongyang masters the ability to miniaturize atomic bombs – and, with a range of up to 1,300 kilometers, could reach Tokyo and key U.S. military bases in Japan.

The U.S. State Department later confirmed the launch of Rodong missiles and said North Korea apparently didn’t issue any maritime warning.

The launch comes on the fourth anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean warship that Seoul and other nations blame on a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denies involvement in the attack, which killed 46 sailors.

North Korean state media made no immediate comment on the launch.