(CNN) North Korea fired three ballistic missiles Monday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The missiles were fired from areas around Hwangju country, in North Hwanghae province, towards the Sea of Japan, the Joint Chiefs said in a statement.

This comes just under two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile . That missile entered Japan's air defense identification zone, the first time that has happened.

It also comes at a potentially embarrassing time for North Korea's only real ally , China, which is currently hosting the Group of Nations summit in Hangzhou

At the G20, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his South Korean counterpart on Monday that Beijing opposes the deployment of the United States' THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.

"Mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region and could intensify disputes," Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Park Geun-hye.

The stated purpose of the THAAD system is to defend South Korea from missile attack from the North. </s> The U.S. military has begun deploying an anti-ballistic missile defense system to South Korea, following a string of missile tests by North Korea, the U.S. Pacific Command said Monday.

The announcement came after nuclear-armed North Korea on Monday launched four missiles which it said was part of training for a strike on U.S. bases in Japan. Three of the missiles came down provocatively close to Japan.

Deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system “contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the U.S.-ROK Alliance’s defense against North Korean missile threats,” the Pacific Command said in a statement.

“North Korea’s accelerating program of nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches constitute a threat to international peace and security, and are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

South Korea and the United States agreed last year to install the THAAD system, which China has repeatedly denounced as a threat to its security.

The statement from the Pacific Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific, pointed out that the system is “a strictly defensive capability and it poses no threat to other countries in the region.”

The system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. </s> North Korea test fired another missile, just one day after South Korea suspended the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system.

The early morning launch occurred Thursday from the coastal city of Wonsan.

“Multiple projectiles that appear to be short-range, land-to-ship cruise missiles” were fired and flew about 200 kilometers before landing in the Sea of Japan or East Sea as it is called in Korea, according to South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month ordered his military to develop the missile capability to precisely target enemy vessels at sea, according to North Korean state media.

During the first week of June, two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan, conducted military exercises in international waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The South Korean JCS said Thursday’s test was a direct response to the recent U.S. naval exercises.

“It was to show off the capability of various types of missiles and is an armed protest to show off its precise strike capability against enemy warships regarding the (recent) joint naval training of the U.S. carriers, or to secure an advantage in U.S. and North Korea or inter-Korean relations,” said JCS Chief of Public Affairs Roh Jae-Cheon.

The JCS also noted that North Korea’s test of low-altitude cruise missiles is not a violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions, which specifically prohibit high-altitude ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also said this cruise missile test did not warrant a response by the United Nations.

“The government has dealt with actions of North Korea based on responses of the international community, however, we don’t think this (North Korea’s missile launch this time) is something we need to protest against,” he said.

He also confirmed that the North Korean missiles did not reach his country’s exclusive economic zone that extends 370 kilometers from the coast.

Thursday’s launch is the fourth missile test by North Korea since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office May 10, pledging to reduce tensions with Pyongyang through dialogue and engagement. His conservative predecessor, former President Park Geun-hye, was impeached for her alleged ties to a multi-million dollar corruption scandal.

President Moon convened his first meeting of the National Security Council Thursday where he ordered heightened military readiness to respond to any North Korean provocation.

“President Moon condemned (North Korea’s provocation by saying that) what North Korea will gain from this provocation is international isolation and economic difficulties and it will lose the opportunity for development,” said Park Soo-hyun, the spokesman of the presidential office after the NSC meeting.

The Moon administration Wednesday suspended the further development of THAAD until an environmental survey required by law has been completed. A presidential aide was reported to have said that the survey could take up to two years.

THAAD uses six mobile launchers and 48 interceptor missiles to target long-range ballistic missiles using high-resolution radar and infrared seeking technology. Two of the launchers were installed in March.

During the campaign, Moon called for a full review of the THAAD agreement before authorizing deployment.

U.S. President Donald Trump also raised concerns about the agreement when he demanded $1 billion for the American weapons system in April. Officials in both Washington and Seoul subsequently clarified the U.S. would bear the cost of THAAD system’s deployment and South Korea would provide the land and supporting facilities.

Washington considers the advanced anti-missile battery critical for defense against North Korea’s growing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

However China adamantly opposes the THAAD regional deployment that could potentially give the U.S. the means to counter its missile capabilities as well.

And many residents living near the deployment site have raised concerns over the possible negative health effects of the system’s powerful radar, and over the increased danger of North Korea targeting their region if hostiles break out.

Last week, the South Korean Defense Ministry approved the delivery of four remaining launchers without informing the presidential office. The president suspended a deputy defense minster for his role in bypassing the executive oversight function. Kang Kyung-hwa, Moon’s Foreign Minister designate, also called for the National Assembly to debate this national security matter.

On Thursday, the Defense Ministry declined to comment on the status of THAAD because of an internal investigation under way.

In the National Assembly Thursday, conservative Rep. Lee Cheol-woo with the opposition Liberty Korea Party said delaying THAAD is “neglecting the country’s duty,” while fellow party member Rep. Chung Woo-taik accused the Moon government of undermining the U.S. alliance, “while taking no measures whatsoever against North Korea’s missile launches.”

The South Korean presidential spokesman also said Thursday that Moon will reaffirm South Korea’s strong commitment to the U.S. alliance when he meets with Trump in Washington later this month. </s> WASHINGTON: The US military has begun deploying an anti-ballistic missile defense system to South Korea, following a string of missile tests by North Korea, the US Pacific Command said Monday.

The announcement came after nuclear-armed North Korea on Monday launched four missiles which it said was part of training for a strike on US bases in Japan. Three of the missiles came down provocatively close to Japan.

Deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system "contributes to a layered missile defense system and enhances the US-ROK Alliance's defense against North Korean missile threats," the Pacific Command said in a statement.

"North Korea's accelerating program of nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches constitute a threat to international peace and security, and are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions."

South Korea and the United States agreed last year to install the THAAD system, which China has repeatedly denounced as a threat to its security.

The statement from the Pacific Command, which oversees US military operations in the Asia-Pacific, pointed out that the system is "a strictly defensive capability and it poses no threat to other countries in the region."

The system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. </s> North Korea on Thursday morning fired what’s believed to be surface-to-ship missiles, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said.

Kim Jong Un’s regime fired four anti-ship cruise missiles, according to a US defense official.

The official tells CNN that the Pentagon is not expected to release the typical statement about tracking the launches because these were not ballistic missile capable of posing a long-range threat.

North Korean state media has made no mention of the reported launches.

The South Korean military said the missiles flew about 124 miles (200 kilometers). The launches occurred near the port city of Wonsan on North Korea’s east coast.

This is the fourth missile test since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office in May. The preceding test came at the end of May when North Korea fired what it claimed was a new type of ballistic missile. That projectile also was fired from Wosnan. Japanese and South Korean monitors said it flew 248 miles (400 kilometers) over the Sea of Japan, also know as the East Sea.

South Korea’s new government has suspended the deployment of a controversial US missile defense system that strained relations with China and angered North Korea.

Thursday’s launch is the first since the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed new sanctions last week.

The resolution slapped even more sanctions on North Korea and condemned the regime’s continued proliferation of its nuclear and ballistic program.

The sanctions extend a travel ban and asset freeze on high-level North Korean officials and state entities that deal with the program, according to the resolution.

China has called on Pyongyang to suspend its testing while calling on the US to stop military exercises on and near the Korean Peninsula, which North Korea sees as a threat to its sovereignty. </s> Increasingly concerned about the threats from North Korea's provocative behavior, the United States said Tuesday it had started to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea that China has angrily opposed as a threat to its security. The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, or Thaad, came after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles on Monday apparently in response to joint naval exercises by South Korea and the United States.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. </s> SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of -- North Korea on Saturday fired several unidentified short-range projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, a likely sign of Pyongyang's growing frustration at stalled diplomatic talks with Washington meant to provide coveted sanctions relief in return for nuclear disarmament.

The South initially reported a single missile was fired, but later issued a statement that said "several projectiles" had been launched and that they flew up to 200 kilometres (125 miles) before splashing into the sea toward the northeast.

South Korea's military has bolstered its surveillance in case there are additional weapons launches, and South Korean and U.S. authorities are analyzing the details. If it's confirmed that the North fired banned ballistic missiles, it will be the first such launch since the North's November 2017 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. That year saw a string of increasingly powerful weapons tests from the North and a belligerent response from President Donald Trump that had many in the region fearing war.

The firing Saturday comes amid a diplomatic breakdown that has followed the failed summit earlier this year between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over the North's pursuit of nuclear bombs that can accurately target the U.S. mainland. Experts believe that the North has viable shorter range nuclear armed missiles but still needs more tests to perfect its longer-range weapons.

During the diplomacy that followed the North's weapons tests of 2017, Kim Jong Un said that the North would not test nuclear devices or ICBMs.

These short-range projectiles don't appear to violate that self-imposed moratorium, and may instead be a way to register Kim's displeasure with Washington and the state of talks meant to provide sanctions relief for disarmament without having the diplomacy collapse. </s> SEOUL: North Korea fired what appeared to be several land-to-ship missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, a day after the South postponed full deployment of a controversial U.S. anti-missile system designed to deter a North Korean attack.

The launches, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure to rein in its weapons programme, come less than a week after the United Nations Security Council passed fresh sanctions on the reclusive state.

South Korea on Wednesday said it will hold off on installing remaining components of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that has angered North Korea's main ally, China, amid early signs of easing tensions between the two countries.

The missiles were launched Thursday morning from the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan and flew about 200 km (124 miles), South Korea's Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been conducting missile tests at an unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland United States.

Compared to the different types of ballistic missiles Pyongyang has recently tested, the missiles launched on Thursday are considered to be more defensive in nature, designed to defend against threats such as enemy warships.

North Korea unveiled a number of new weapons at a massive military parade on April 15 to mark the birth anniversary of the state's founding leader and has since tested some of them.

"What appeared to be a new type of land-to-ship missile equipped with four launching canisters was unveiled at the parade," said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University’s Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. "I think this might be what was used today."

Thursday's launch is the fourth missile test by North Korea since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10 pledging to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang. Moon says sanctions and pressure alone have failed to resolve the growing threat from the North's advancing nuclear and missile programme.

Moon had also promised to review the deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea, a decision that was made by the government of his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye. On Wednesday, Moon's office said installation of four additional launchers would be halted until an assessment of the system's impact on the environment was completed.

Two launchers of the full six-launcher THAAD battery, as well as the system's far-reaching radar that China worries could upset the regional security balance, have already been installed at a deployment site in the southeastern city of Seongju. The elements will stay in place, South Korea said.

The introduction of the THAAD system has sparked protests in South Korea and a backlash in China against South Korean business interests.

The Global Times, published by China's official People's Daily, said in an editorial that no matter the outcome of the environmental study, South Korea's announcement could reduce friction.

"Obviously, the pressure China puts on South Korea has taken effect. Seoul's will has been shaken," the paper said. "However, attitude is not everything. Without solving the problem of THAAD, the pain it has brought to bilateral relations will not disappear, and South Korea must swallow some of the bitter results."

China should work with Russia on counter-measures to THAAD, the Global Times added.

Asked about the latest missile test, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for all parties to exercise restraint.

"The UN Security Council resolution has clear rules on (North Korea's) use of ballistic missiles technologies," she said. "All sides should work together to de-escalate tensions and take active steps to stabilize the region."

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing China aggressively to rein in North Korea, warning that all options, including a pre-emptive military strike, are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington were analysing the launches for further information, officials said.

Japan's navy and air force conducted military drills with two U.S. aircraft carriers in the Sea of Japan last week, following similar joint U.S.-South Korea exercises.

"North Korea likely wanted to show off its ability to precisely target a large warship, in relation to the joint military drills involving U.S. aircraft carriers," Roh Jae-cheon, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman, told a media briefing.

"By testing different types of missiles, North Korea also appears to be aiming to secure the upper hand in relations with South Korea and the United States."

The isolated country, which has conducted dozens of missile tests and tested two nuclear bombs since the beginning of 2016 in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, says the programme is necessary to counter U.S. aggression. </s> SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The South Korean news agency says North Korea fired an unidentified missile on Tuesday.

Yonhap said the missile was fired into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

North Korea has conducted a series of test launches to develop its missile capability and recently threatened to send missiles over western Japan and into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam.

Japan’s military is practicing deploying anti-missile batteries at three U.S. bases in Japan.

The U.S. military says the drills will test the ability of Japanese and U.S. forces to work together and assess firing locations at the bases. They will also allow Japan to practice rapid deployment of its PAC-3 anti-missile system.
North Korea test fires several missiles, believed to be anti-ship weapons. The test comes immediately after South Korea suspends further deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system.