A TV screen showing a news program reporting about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's missile launch with file footage, is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, the Republic of Korea on Oct 6, 2022. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)

SEOUL/TOKYO - The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in the direction of Japan, as a US aircraft carrier and allied warships held a drill that simulated shooting down one of the DPRK's missiles.

The DPRK has launched about 40 missiles this year, including its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and appears ready to hold its first nuclear test since 2017, officials in Seoul and Washington have warned.

The DPRK's missile launch on Thursday was the sixth in 12 days and the first since the DPRK fired an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday, which prompted joint missile drills of the Republic of Korea and the US in which one weapon crashed and burned

Thursday's launches followed the return of the carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, to waters off the Korean Peninsula, and a UN Security Council meeting held in response to the DPRK's recent tests.

The missile launch was the sixth in 12 days and the first since the DPRK fired an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday, which prompted joint missile drills of the Republic of Korea and the US in which one weapon crashed and burned.

The launch was reported by the ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese government.

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"This is the sixth time in the short period, just counting the ones from the end of September," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

The launch came about an hour after the DPRK condemned the United States for talking to the United Nations Security Council about Pyongyang's "just counteraction measures" on joint ROK-US drills, suggesting its missile tests are a reaction to the allied military moves.

In a statement, the nation's foreign ministry also condemned Washington for repositioning the US aircraft carrier off the Korean Peninsula, saying it posed a serious threat to the stability of the situation.

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In this photo provided by the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Korea, an Army Tactical Missile System or ATACMS, missile is fired during a joint military drill between US and the ROK at an undisclosed location in the ROK, Oct 5, 2022. (ROK DEFENSE MINISTRY VIA AP)

The DPRK's launch came about an hour after the country condemned the United States for talking to the United Nations Security Council about Pyongyang's "just counteraction measures" on joint ROK-US drills, suggesting its missile tests are a reaction to the allied military moves

The carrier and its strike group of accompanying warships was abruptly redeployed in response to the DPRK's IRBM launch over Japan.

The carrier strike group joined destroyers from the ROK and Japan in maritime missile defense training, the ROK's military said on Thursday.

A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was committed to a diplomatic approach and called on the DPRK to engage in dialogue.

The ROK's President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is set to speak to Kishida by telephone on Thursday, told reporters that his country would ensure its security through its alliance with the United States and cooperation with Japan.

READ MORE: ROK: DPRK fires 2 ballistic missiles toward eastern waters

Thursday's first missile probably flew to an altitude of about 100 km and a range of 350 km, while the second had an estimated altitude of 50 km and covered 800 km, probably taking an irregular trajectory, said Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.

The ROK's JCS said the missiles were launched from near the the DPRK's capital of Pyongyang.