North
Korea has fired three ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, according to
the South Korean military.
The missiles were launched early
on Tuesday local time from the western city of Hwangju and flew between 311 and
373 miles towards the Sea of Japan.
In a statement, South Korea said:
"The ballistic missiles flight went from 500 kilometres to 600 kilometres,
which is a distance far enough to strike all of South Korea including
Busan."
Busan is a South Korean port city
in the south.
"Our assessment is that it
was done as a show of force," a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff
official said.
The US military said it had
detected launches of two Scud missiles and one Rodong - a homemade missile
based on Soviet era Scud technology.
China's foreign ministry has not
commented on the launches but the Japanese government said in a statement they
were "a breach of the UN Security Council resolution" and
"extremely hazardous to shipping and aircraft and we have strongly
protested".
These are not the first missiles
North Korea has fired in recent months - intermediate-range missiles were
tested in June and a submarine launched a missile earlier this month.
Just days ago, South Korea and
the US announced they would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence anti-missile
system to defend the South from the North.
North Korea threatened to
retaliate and the Chinese have also criticised the move, saying it will
destabilise the region.
Around half of South Koreans are
reportedly against the anti-missile system, with concerns including the
possible destruction of crops and the undermining of sanctions against their
northern neighbor.
North Korea Fires Missiles Towards Sea Of Japan
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