The first missile reached an altitude of 50km and covered a range of 550km, while the second one rose as high as 50km and flew 600km, Hamada told reporters.

Japan lodged a protest against the missile launches through diplomatic channels, he said.

The firing comes nearly a week after North Korea tested its latest Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, a launch Pyongyang said was a warning to the United States and other adversaries.

Wednesday’s launch came a day after a US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine visited South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

Also on Tuesday, a US soldier facing disciplinary action fled across the inter-Korean border into North Korea. The soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody, Washington said, creating a fresh crisis between the two foes.