(VOVworld)- North Korea on Monday fired five short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast — the latest in a series of missile launches ordered by leader Kim Jong-Un amid rising military tensions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets scientists and technicians in the field of researches into nuclear weapons in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 9, 2016. (REUTERS/KCNA)

The launches came just days after the North test-fired two medium-range missiles, in what the UN Security Council described as an “unacceptable” violation of UN resolutions. Tensions have been soaring on the divided Korean peninsula since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, followed a month later by a long-range rocket launch that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. The UN Security Council responded earlier this month by imposing its toughest sanctions on North Korea to date.