North Korea fired two short-range missiles from Wonsan, Gangwon Province, into the East Sea, Thursday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. This photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), May 10, shows a missile being launched from a transporter erector launcher the previous day. KCNA-Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

The government confirmed Thursday evening that two short-range missiles launched by North Korea earlier the day were of a "new type of ballistic missile," adding they would not be of help to the ongoing efforts to ease military tension on the peninsula.

The assessment came at a National Security Council (NSC) meeting presided over by presidential national security advisor Chung Eui-yong. The NSC members also discussed other issues including sending a naval presence to the Strait of Hormuz, and the violation of South Korean airspace by a Russian military aircraft.

The NSC's assessment of the launches came hours after the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that the North had fired two "missiles" toward the East Seat at 5:34 a.m. and 5:57 a.m., respectively, from Wonsan in Gangwon Province.

The first flew 430 kilometers while the second flew 690 kilometers. They were widely believed by military experts to be KN-23s, a modified version of the Russian "Iskander," which has a usual range of 500 kilometers.

A spokesman said the Ministry of National Defense viewed the launches "as a military threat and moves undermining joint efforts to ease military tensions on the peninsula."