Seoul: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, in a back-to-back launch that came after President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone flights by individuals into the North.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the missiles launched from the Wonsan area in the North at around 8:50 a.m. This marked North Korea's fourth known ballistic missile launch this year. The military stated, "Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japanese sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches."

The launch followed just a day after North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area on Tuesday. This projectile is currently pending analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities. The projectile, believed to have been launched Tuesday morning, disappeared shortly after it was fired in an apparent failure. These back-to-back launches came on the heels of President Lee expressing regret over drone flights by individuals into North Korea on Monday.

During a Cabinet meeting, President Lee expressed regret over the drone flights, noting that the incidents have caused unnecessary military tension with Pyongyang. His remarks followed the indictment of three individuals by prosecutors last week, accused of flying drones into North Korea between September and January.

Following Lee's remarks, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement assessing Lee as having a "frank and broad-minded" attitude. However, she warned that Seoul "should stop any reckless provocation" against Pyongyang and "refrain from any attempt at contact, instead of paying lip service to the utmost importance of peace and security."

The North last fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on March 14 during annual springtime military drills by South Korea and the United States. State media reported the following day that the North conducted a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers. Pyongyang has yet to release any report on the recent launches.