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NORTH Korea has reportedly launched two ballistic missiles as Kim Jong-un resumes his war-mongering military tests.

US officials and the Japanese Coast Guard confirmed the short-range rockets have been fired into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, Japanese authorities say
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North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, Japanese authorities sayCredit: Reuters

This is North Korea's second missile test in less than 24 hours after around 12 months of inactivity

Tonight, authorities in Japan reported that at least one "projectile" believed to be a ballistic missile had been launched from the rogue state.

Minutes later, a US official told Fox News that the North fired two short-ranged ballistic missiles - capable of carrying a nuclear warhead - into the Sea of Japan.

Last week it was reported that the hermit kingdom  since Joe Biden took office.

US officials were reportedly on alert after scaled-down, simulated military exercises were conducted by the US and  last week, reported.

The Covid pandemic had previously limited such joint military drills to computer simulations.

The last rocket test conducted by North Korea took place in March 2020.

A North Korean vehicle carried a missile during a mass military parade in 2012
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A North Korean vehicle carried a missile during a mass military parade in 2012

The news comes after .

Following the joint military drills with South Korea, Kim Yo-jong said: "We take this opportunity to warn the new US administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land.

"If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step."

She also claimed South Korea was "resorting to shrunken war games, now that they find themselves in the quagmire of political, economic and epidemic crisis."

Last week,  said North Korea has avoided engaging in talks with the US since Biden's took office on January 20.

Dictator Kim had three summits with Trump and exchanged a number of letters but failed to stop developing warheads and ballistic missiles.

Earlier this month, it was reported that North Korea could start testing  nuclear bombs again after satellite photos revealed new activity at the site where its weapons are stockpiled.

Pictures of the site show that Kim has erected a new building around the tunnels leading to his underground nuclear base
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Pictures of the site show that Kim has erected a new building around the tunnels leading to his underground nuclear base

The secretive state reportedly stashes all its nukes at Yongdoktong, an underground facility in the North Pyongan Province accessed via a tunnel system.

Up until now, the two tunnel entrances were always visible in satellite photos, allowing international observers to keep tabs on comings and goings from the site.

But now it appears that the Kim regime has erected a new building to hide the entrances, fuelling speculation that the dictator will soon try to move his nukes unnoticed.

It comes amid speculation the country had revived its coal-fired steam plant after a two-year hiatus, suggesting they could be secretly extracting plutonium to make more warheads.

Smoke was spotted coming from the Nuclear Science and Weapons Research Centre on new satellite images at various times since late February, weeks after Kim vowed to expand his nuclear arsenal.

Only one year earlier, tyrant Kim and former President Donald Trump had met in Vietnam to discuss denuclearisation.

North Korea was branded the biggest threat to the world by The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) amid fears Kim may ramp up missile testing to taunt Biden.

The CFR branded their nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests as the top-ranked conflict concern for 2021 after Kim declared the US is his "foremost principal enemy".

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The country has not tested a nuclear bomb since September 3, 2017.

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