The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast, the Republic of Korea (ROK) military said on Thursday, as nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington remain in a deadlock. 

The projectiles were fired from the areas of Yeonpo in the country's eastern South Hamgyong Province into the waters off the east coast at around 4:59 p.m., according to Yonhap. 

Thursday's launch was the latest in a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang, which fired what it called two "super-large multiple rocket launcher" systems last month. 

U.S. President Donald Trump has played down the recent launches, repeatedly pointing to DPRK's moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches as foreign policy successes for him.  

But negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have been gridlocked since a second summit between Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in February collapsed without a deal.  

The DPRK is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, and lifting some of them was a key demand at the Hanoi summit.  

Earlier this month, Seoul and Washington said they would postpone planned joint military exercises to ease diplomacy with the DPRK – an announcement that Pyongyang dismissed. 

Reactions from Japan, ROK and the U.S.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday said that a missile launch by the DPRK was a threat to Japan and the international community, and that Tokyo would be in close contact with its partners to monitor the situation. 

"Multiple missile launches by North Korea (DPRK) are a serious challenge not only to Japan, but also the international society," Abe told reporters after the country's defense ministry confirmed that an object that appeared to be a missile was launched from Pyongyang earlier in the day. 

"We will remain in close contact with the United States, South Korea (ROK) and the international community to monitor the situation. We will increase our vigilance to preserve the safety and assets of the Japanese people," he said.

ROK military expressed "strong regret" and urged the DPRK to stop stoking military tension. 

"Such acts by North Korea (DPRK) are unhelpful for efforts to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula," Jeon Dong-jin, director of operations at the JCS, told a news briefing.

A senior Trump administration official said on Thursday that it was aware of reports of a DPRK missile launch. 

"We are continuing to monitor the situation and consulting closely with our allies in the region," the official said. 

A U.S. State Department official said, "We call on North Korea (DPRK) to avoid provocations, abide by obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions, and return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearization‎."

Kim expresses 'great satisfaction' over rocket test

Kim oversaw a "successful test" of a super-large multiple launch rocket system and expressed "great satisfaction," state media KCNA news agency said on Friday.

"The volley test-fire aimed to finally examine the combat application of the super-large multiple launch rocket system proved the military and technical superiority of the weapon system and its firm reliability," KCNA said. 

"The Supreme Leader expressed great satisfaction over the results of the test-fire."

(With input from agencies)