People watch the news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 27 January 2026. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch of at least one unidentified projectile toward the East Sea from North Korea on 27 January. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN 
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area near the North's capital, Pyongyang, at around 3:50 p.m. local time (0650 GMT) towards the sea off its east coast. It said the missiles flew about 350 kilometres (217 miles).
Japan's coast guard separately said it had detected what could be ballistic missiles launched by North Korea that dropped a few minutes later. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the missiles would have no impact on Japan.
North Korea has in recent months test-launched short-range missiles and multiple-launch rockets that it has said were being developed as a key part of its tactical nuclear arsenal to protect itself from threats from the U.S. and South Korea.
Interest has grown in North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles and artillery after Pyongyang supplied them to Russia for use in battlefields in the war against Ukraine under a mutual defence pact they signed in 2024.
The launch came during a senior U.S. Defense Department official's visit to South Korea, where he discussed modernising their military alliance as Washington seeks a more limited role in their combined defence efforts against North Korea.
(Reporting by Jack Kim and Joyce Lee in Seoul, and Kantaro Komiya in TokyoEditing by Ed Davies)