North and South Korea test missiles hours apart, in a dueling display of military prowess

North and South Korea conducted ballistic missile tests just hours apart Wednesday in a display that will likely exacerbate tensions between the military rivals.

The presidential office of South Korea said that the country conducted its first submarine-launched ballistic missile test, in which a domestically manufactured missile launched from a submarine and struck its intended target as the country's leaders observed.

President Moon Jae-in says he is certain that the country's increased missile capabilities will serve as a "deterrence against North Korean provocation."

Prior to the South's weapons test, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea. That firing occurred just days after the North said it fired a newly developed cruise missile.