The United States is aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea and is consulting closely with its allies, South Korea and Japan, a senior U.S. government official said Friday.

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles off its east coast Saturday (Seoul time), according to South Korea's military, the regime's fifth launch in just over two weeks.

A "new-type tactical guided missile" is launched on Aug. 6, 2019, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 7, 2019. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

"We are aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea, and we continue to monitor the situation," the official told Yonhap News Agency. "We are consulting closely with our Japanese and South Korean allies."

North Korea has said the series of launches sends a warning to South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises that began this week. (Yonhap)

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