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North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast, according to neighboring South Korea.

The latest surge in weapons tests comes as the United States was preparing to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to step up military exercises with South Korea.

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the missiles were fired from south of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, but did not release details of the flight.

Japan’s coast guard said it believed both weapons landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The launches were North Korea’s seventh missile event this month amid escalating military tensions with the United States moving a group of aircraft carriers to the Korean peninsula this week for another round of joint exercises.

North Korea has fired more than 20 ballistic and cruise missiles in 11 launch events this year as it tries to force the United States to accept its nuclear status and negotiate the removal of sanctions.

The launches included a flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile and a series of short-range weapons as it attempts to demonstrate the ability to conduct nuclear strikes on both South Korea and the continental United States.

A three-day exercise last week simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean targets as leader Kim Jong Un condemned joint US-South Korean military exercises, described by allies as defensive in nature, like invasion drills.

South Korea’s air force said the latest five-day joint air drill included live-fire demonstrations of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

North Korea launched more than 70 missiles in 2022.