North Korea fires short-range missiles hours before US polls

North Korea fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles on Nov 5 off its east coast, Japan's Defence Minister said, soon after Pyongyang condemned military drills by its rivals and just hours before the US election.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister condemned the drills involving the United States, Japan and South Korea, in a report published on state media KCNA.

At least seven missiles flew to an altitude of 100km and covered a range of 400km before falling outside Japan's exclusive economic zone into the ocean, said Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani.

They were fired at around 7.30am on Nov 5 from the vicinity of Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, and came hours before voting opened in the US presidential election.

The US is consulting closely with South Korea, Japan and other regional allies after the launches and will be monitoring the situation, the US military said.