"We are disappointed that North Korea has conducted further short-range ballistic missile tests, which violate multiple UN Security Council Resolutions," said the Foreign Office.

It urged Pyongyang to re-engage in talks with the US, adding that "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is the path for a peaceful and more prosperous future" for its people.

It was the latest in a series of short-range missile tests the nuclear-armed nation has carried out in recent weeks in protest against US-South Korean military exercises, which it sees as a rehearsal for invasion.

The missiles flew about 380 kilometres (240 miles) and reached an altitude of 97 kilometres at a top speed of Mach 6.5 before landing in the East Sea, also known as Sea of Japan, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.