N. Korea runs short-range guided missile test

North Korea fired several short-range guided missiles into the sea off its east coast Friday in an apparent test launch, South Korean officials and media reports said. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launches, but said it was still investigating how many missiles were fired. The launches were apparently part of annual exercises conducted by the North, the Joint Chiefs said in a statement. The missiles were fired from the communist country's east coast into the sea between Japan and the Korean peninsula, a Joint Chiefs official said on condition of anonymity, citing official protocol.