N. Korea fires three ballistic missiles *
 

SEOUL: **rth Korea fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast Monday, Seoul said, in a new show of force that comes as top world leaders meet at the G20 summit in China.

The missiles were fired into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) from the **rth´s Hwangju county at around 0300 GMT, a defence ministry spokesman said, sabre-rattling that follows a submarine-launched ballistic missile test some two weeks ago.

"They are speculated to be Rodong missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) and were fired without navigational warning to Japan," the spokesman said in a statement.

"**rth Korea´s ballistic missile launch is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions aimed at showing off its nuclear and missile capabilities during the G20 summit," he added.

Japan´s defence ministry said that the three missiles are estimated to have fallen into the country´s Exclusive Eco**mic Zone (EEZ) in the Sea of Japan, according to a statement.

"The ministry expresses serious concern over the missile launches as they pose a grave threat to Japan´s national security," a ministry statement said.

Monday´s missile launch came hours after South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

Ties between South Korea and China have been frosty since Seoul an**unced its plan to deploy a US anti-missile system in July to counter growing nuclear and missile threats from the **rth.

During the summit, Xi reiterated Beijing´s opposition to Seoul´s planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, arguing that "mishandling" the issue could "intensify disputes" in the region, China´s state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Park labelled **rth Korea´s continued provocations as a "challenge" to Seoul-Beijing ties, adding that security threats from Pyongyang were at an "unprecedented level", South Korea´s Yonhap news agency said.

**rth Korea has conducted a ****** of missile tests this year in defiance of UN sanctions imposed after its fourth nuclear test in January. The most recent was a submarine-launched ballistic missile last month.

The missile, fired from off the **rtheastern port of Sinpo, flew 500 kilometres (around 300 miles) towards Japan, far exceeding the range of the **rth´s previous sub-launched missiles.

**rth Korean leader Kim Jong-Un described the August test as the "greatest success" and said it put the US mainland within striking range.

The launch was widely-condemned by the US and other major powers and marked what ******* analysts said was a clear step forward for **rth Korea´s nuclear strike ambitions.

A proven submarine-launched ballistic missile system would allow deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a "second-strike" capability in the event of an attack on the **rth´s military bases.

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