North Korea has launched a series of missiles off its eastern coast in a move that has raised tensions in the region again.

Six missiles with a range of about 500 kilometres were launched by the authoritarian state on the same day as US independence day. It comes after another launch of four short range missiles on Thursday.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the country's joint chief of staff as saying that the launches of missiles with a maximum range of 500 kilometres took place on Saturday between 8am local time and 10:45am local time.

Comparing today's missile launch with last week's, the news provider said: "The missiles fired on July 2 were analysed to be part of military drills, but today's missiles seem to have political purposes in that they were fired a day ahead of the U S Independence Day," a government official said.

Japan and South Korea called the missile launch a "provocative act" and criticised the one-party state for raising tensions in the region.

South Korea's foreign ministry said: "The government expresses deep regret over North Korea's continued acts to escalate tensions in Northeast Asia in ignorance of the UN Security Council resolutions and urges North Korea to faithfully implement the resolutions."

In the past, the west has condemned North Korea for conducting nuclear tests and launching missiles into the sea shared between it, South Korea and Japan.

No statement from the North Korean government was available on its official agency, the Korean Central News Agency.
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