Both countries launched two US-origin ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday for the first time since 2017.

South Korea and the United States launched four missiles into the ocean on Wednesday, a day after  North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that both countries launched two US-origin ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles. Additionally, South Korea launched a Hyunmoo-2 rocket, but the test failed right away.

Following the combined exercise on the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, this was the second test drill conducted by the two nations in 24 hours.

The US and South Korean militaries conducted tests to demonstrate their readiness to respond to North Korean provocations, according to the US National Security Council.

US officials said that this is not the first time we have responded in this way to North Korean provocations to show off our own power.

“The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has not demonstrated an inclination to move towards denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Rather, he is moving in the opposite direction by continuing to conduct these missile launches, which are violations of Security Council resolutions," officials added.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang conducted its farthest-reaching missile test to date, as missile passed over Japan. Later, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the United Nations and the European Union strongly denounced North Korea's missile test.