Alwaght- North Korea test fired three ballistic missiles on Tuesday into the sea off its east coast after the US announced the deployment of high-tech missile system into South Korea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday the short-range ballistic missiles were fired from northern North Korea and flew about 600km before crashing into the sea east of the Korean peninsula.
The US military said it detected launches of what it believed were two Scud missiles and one Rodong, a home-grown missile based on Soviet-era Scud technology.
North Korea has fired both types numerous times in recent years, an indication that unlike recent launches that were seen as efforts by the North to improve its missile capability, Tuesday's were meant as a show of force.
The launches came six days after South Korea and the US announced a final decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) in the South, which had prompted Pyongyang to threaten a "physical response."
Official KCNA news agency cited North Korea's military as saying" It is the unwavering will of our army to deal a ruthless retaliatory strike and turn (the South) into a sea of fire and a pile of ashes the moment we have an order to carry it out".
The move to deploy the anti-missile system also drew a quick and sharp reaction from China and Russia.
Russia warned that the US deployment of the missile system would have ‘irreparable consequences’, echoing warnings by China of a threat to regional security.
“From the very beginning of the discussion of this issue we have consistently and invariably pointed at the most dangerous consequences of such a decision and called for our partners not to make this wrong choice. Unfortunately, our calls have remained unheard,” reads a Russian Foreign Ministry statement released Friday.
China on Friday also said the system would “seriously damage the strategic security interests of countries in the region” and urged Washington to stop the deployment process.
China and Russia have been saying for months that THAAD is unnecessary and would tip the balance of power in the Pacific towards the United States.
