SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Monday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a recent series of weapons launches by the North.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the launches from North Korea’s capital region but gave no further details, such as how far the weapons flew. It said South Korea has strengthened its surveillance posture and maintains a firm readiness in close coordination with the United States and Japan.

Japan also confirmed the launches, with the office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructing officials to employ maximum efforts to gather information and ensure the safety of aircraft and vessels, according to a statement released on X, formerly called Twitter.

North Korea in recent months has been maintaining an accelerated pace in weapons testing as it continues to expand its military capabilities amid stalemated diplomacy with the United States and South Korea.