South Korea on Thursday said North Korea fired multiple short range missiles towards it eastern waters.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say how far the weapons flew.

It was the North's first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country's sixth launch event of the year.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program and supply weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Thursday's launch came a day after North Korean state media said Kim urged munition workers to boost the production of artillery shells amid his deepening alignment with Moscow. (AP, additional reporting from Reuters)