North Korea has fired several short-range missiles into the sea off its eastern coast, according to reports from South Korea. South Korea’s military has bolstered its surveillance in case there are additional weapons launches, and South Korean and US authorities are analysing the details. If it is confirmed that the North fired banned ballistic missiles, it would be the first such launch since the North’s November 2017 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). That year saw a string of increasingly powerful weapons tests from the North and a belligerent response from US president Donald Trump that had many in the region fearing war. The South initially reported on Saturday that a single missile was fired, but later issued a statement that said “several projectiles” had been launched and that they flew up to 125 miles before splashing into the sea toward the north-east. Experts say the North may increase these sorts of low-level provocations to apply pressure on the United States to agree to reduce crushing international sanctions. The launch comes amid a diplomatic breakdown that has followed the failed summit earlier this year between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the North’s pursuit of nuclear…