North Korea fires short-range projectiles after UN sanctions

North Korea fired short-range projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Thursday, South Korea's defence ministry said, hours after the UN Security Council imposed tough new sanctions on Pyongyang.

After initially describing the launches as being of "short-range missiles", spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun said the ministry was still analysing their exact nature. The projectiles were fired into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at 10:00am (local time), Moon said. "The South Korean military is monitoring any additional movements from the North," he added. 

North Korea faces harsh new UN sanctions to starve it of money for its nuclear weapons programme following a unanimous Security Council vote on Wednesday on a resolution drafted by the United States and Pyongyang's ally China.

All cargo going to and from North Korea must now be inspected and North Korean trade representatives in Syria, Iran and Vietnam are among 16 individuals added to a UN blacklist, along with 12 North Korean entities. Previously states only had to inspect such shipments if they had reasonable grounds to believe they contained illicit goods. "Virtually all of the DPRK's (North Korea) resources are channelled into its reckless and relentless pursuit of weapons of mass destruction," Power told the council after the vote, adding that the cargo inspection provisions are "hugely significant."