South Korea's military says North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the North's east coast early on Sunday.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul says the two missiles were fired from a location near Kangwon Province's Munchon on Sunday between 1:48 and 1:58 a.m. local time.

South Korean forces are working with the US military to determine the ranges of the two missiles and the altitudes that they reached.

In April 2020, North Korea fired what were thought to be cruise missiles from areas near Munchon. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says the town is home to a naval base.

The latest launches occurred after midnight. Yonhap has quoted an expert as saying that the North probably wanted to demonstrate that it has the ability to fire a missile at a time and place of its choosing.

North Korea has been launching missiles at an unprecedented pace this year. The latest one is the 25th that the North has fired since January.

Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party will mark its 77th anniversary on Monday. North Korea has been taking an increasingly aggressive stance toward the United States and South Korea.