(VOVworld)- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two short-range missiles, assumed to be Scud missiles, into its eastern waters Monday, said a South Korean Defense Ministry official. Those missiles, launched from Nampo, a west coast city southwest of Pyongyang, flew about 500 km across North Korea into eastern waters. The missile launch occurred as South Korea and the United States launched their annual joint military exercises "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle", despite strong objections from the DPRK. Seoul and Washington insisted the exercises are annually-held drills of a "defensive" nature to ensure the defensive readiness of their combined forces. Pyongyang called this explanation a "crafty sophism to conceal their reckless preemptive nuclear attack on the DPRK." The South Korean army is watching closely for any further firing of missiles by the DPRK.