The launch coincided with a visit to Seoul by Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, as well as a trilateral defense meeting of the United States, Japan and South Korea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said two projectiles, presumed to be short-range missiles were launched Thursday afternoon in an eastern direction from Kusong in North Pyongan province. The two missiles flew an estimated 260 miles and 170 miles respectively, the Joint Chiefs said in a statement…

The two missiles were launched at almost exactly the same time as the United States conducted its own, scheduled launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.