Reporting from Seoul -- North Korea today test-fired four short-range missiles, weeks after the reclusive state warned vessels to avoid its coastline due to projected military maneuvers, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.

Pyongyang launched what officials said were anti-ship missiles, followed several hours later by two more short-range devices.



* North Korea's missile arsenal
North Korea's missile arsenal

The latest launches follow a recent nuclear detonation and a flurry of missile tests by North Korea, apparently in response to tough new U.N. sanctions.

"This afternoon at 5:20 and 6 p.m., two short-range missiles were fired from Sinsang-ri," an official from the South Korean Defense Ministry told The Times.