North Korea is flexing its muscles and firing short-range ballistic missiles toward its waters ahead of a major political meeting.

South Korea's military detected the launches of several ballistic missiles from an area northeast of Pyongyang, North Korea, adding that each missile flew approximately 217 miles, The Associated Press reported. 

Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry said that two ballistic missiles launched from North Korea and landed off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to the AP.

These launches represent the first time North Korea fired weapons since testing hypersonic missiles in early January, the AP noted. In December, the country tested long-range strategic cruise missiles and new anti-air missiles and released photos of the apparent construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, which would be the first of its kind for Pyongyang, the AP reported.

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The missile launches come as the ruling party prepares to hold its first full congress in five years, according to the AP, which cited state media. So far, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has met with other top officials to prepare for the meeting. The top-level meeting will reportedly be used to set new political and economic priorities as the U.S. and South Korea seek renewed talks with North Korea.

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The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is controlled by the North Korean government, reported in December that Kim presided over a plenary meeting of the Workers Party’s Central Committee in which participants discussed issues related to the party congress and this year's state policies, the AP reported. The outlet noted that Kim revived the congress in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus.

Additionally, North Korea recently accused South Korea of carrying out surveillance drone flights across the border. Seoul has denied operating drones during the times Pyongyang specified and said it began investigating the possibility that civilians sent them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Iranian regime has allegedly broadcast at least 97 "coercive confessions" from detained protesters on state television in just over two weeks, human rights groups say, as residents endure the longest internet blackout on record.

The videos reportedly feature handcuffed detainees with blurred faces showing remorse for their actions since the protests began Dec. 28, according to a rights group tracking the videos.

It said ominous music can be heard, and edited footage shows attacks on security forces, according to reporting by The Associated Press and data from the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Other rights groups also claim the confession videos are coerced and obtained under duress, with protesters "dragged before cameras under the threat of torture and execution."

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"The regime’s broadcast of so-called confessions by detained protesters is a threadbare and worn tactic," Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

"Time and time again, the henchmen drag arrested demonstrators before cameras under the threat of torture and execution, coercing them to recant their beliefs or invent absurd stories."

The broadcasts come amid nationwide protests sparked by public anger over political repression, economic collapse and alleged abuses by security forces.

Demonstrations have spread across major cities despite mass arrests, lethal force and sweeping restrictions on communication.

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Safavi said the confessions serve a dual purpose. 

"First, they are meant to justify the mass slaughter of protesters, no fewer than 3,000, which NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi has stated constitute manifest crimes against humanity," he said.

"These forced confessions are designed to demoralize the Iranian people and sow fear and doubt."

But he said any mass executions or staged confessions "won’t achieve that because no amount of televised coercion or repression will break the protesters’ resolve."

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U.S.-based HRANA has warned that forced confessions in Iran frequently follow psychological or physical torture and can carry severe consequences, including death sentences.

"These rights violations compound on top of each other and lead to horrific outcomes," Skylar Thompson, HRANA group’s deputy director, told The Associated Press, adding that the scale of broadcasts is unprecedented.

The confession campaign coincides with a sweeping internet shutdown that has effectively cut the public off from independent information.

According to NetBlocks, Iran’s internet blackout has surpassed 144 consecutive hours, making it one of the longest disruptions ever recorded.

"The shutdown is still ongoing, making it one of the longest blackouts on record," Isik Mater, NetBlocks’ director of research, told Fox News Digital.

"State TV continues to operate normally via satellite transmission, which does not depend on the public internet, which means households can still watch Iranian state channels even during a near-total shutdown."

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Mater said the blackout magnifies the impact of state propaganda because "while the public is cut off, the state relies on broadcast media and its domestic National Information Network to control what people see," she said, likening Iran’s information strategy to that of North Korea.

"A useful comparison is North Korea where the vast majority of citizens there have little to no access to the global internet, yet the state TV and radio broadcast regime propaganda 24/7," she said.

"Information flows through closed systems, like North Korea’s domestic intranet Kwangmyong and not the open internet."

Mater added that shutdowns are highly selective, with senior officials and state institutions retaining connectivity through "whitelisted networks."

"Senior officials and state institutions retain connectivity via whitelisted government networks and private links," Mater said.

"This is why Ali Khamenei and other government officials continue posting on global social media platforms during the blackout, enabling the regime to shape the narrative internationally while citizens are unable to document events or even respond."