North Korea continued Tuesday launching short-range missiles into the ocean, as part of what Seoul says is a protest against U.S.-South Korean military drills.

The South Korean Defense Ministry says the North fired three artillery shells about 55 kilometers using a multiple rocket launcher off its southeast coast early Tuesday. Later, it fired four more rockets that traveled about 155 kilometers.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok called the launches, which began last week, a provocation meant to coincide with the annual Key Resolve military exercise.

“North Korea intentionally is showing an armed force demonstration as a threat against the Key Resolve exercise with its various range of missile launching methods,” Kim said. “Our military forces are closely monitoring North Korea’s additional launch and its military actions with our combined information systems between the United States and South Korea.”

Last Thursday, North Korea also launched two slightly longer-range Scud missiles. It fired two more Scuds on Monday.

The United States condemned the launches as violations of U.N. resolutions prohibiting Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program.

Such launches are not uncommon in North Korea, especially during U.S.-South Korean military drills, which Pyongyang views as preparation to invade.

Source: VOA