North Korea on Tuesday test-fired multiple missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said, as it continued its weapons demonstrations ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the short-range ballistic missiles were fired from a northern inland area and flew about 250 kilometres before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The joint chiefs said the South Korean military had strengthened surveillance while sharing the launch information with the US and Japanese militaries.

It said it strongly condemns the test, describing it as a “clear provocation" that poses a serious threat to the region's peace and stability.

It was North Korea’s second launch event of 2025, following a ballistic launch last week.

North Korea said the January 6 test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong-un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations.

North Korea is coming off a torrid year in weapons testing.

The systems it demonstrated in 2024 included solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to strike the US mainland and various shorter-range missiles designed to overwhelm missile defences in South Korea. (AP)