North Korean missiles launched into Sea of Japan: South Korea

South Koreans watch TV news showing a footage of North Korean missiles on a military parade, at a Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, on May 18, 2013.

North Korea on Saturday launched three short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.

Two launches occurred in the morning into the sea off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast, also called the East Sea, and the third was conducted in the afternoon, it said, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea last carried out missile launches in March when it test-fired two short-range missiles.

North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes are a source of international tension and sanctions. The United States warned North Korea last month that the world would not allow it to become a nuclear power.

The launches were conducted at a particularly tense time on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in February, which the international community responded to with further sanctions on one of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries.

Pyongyang responded with bellicose rhetoric and war threats.