MOSCOW, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- An unnamed source from the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed "regret and bewilderment" over the latest reported missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday.

    The source was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying that the reported missile launches were "puzzling."

    South Korea's Yonhap news agency said earlier that Pyongyang has testfired a total of five short-range ground-to-ground missiles off its east coast on Monday.

    The test came at a wrong time especially when efforts are being made for the six-party negotiations to resume, according to the source cited by the Interfax news agency.

    The DPRK's leader Kim Jong Il said recently that his country is willing to attend multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, depending on the outcome of its talks with the United States.

    Launched in 2003, the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula involved China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.

    The talks have been stalled since the end of last round in Beijing last December.