North fires 3 ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday

North Korea fired three missiles into Japan’s exclusive economic zone Monday during a Group of 20 summit in an apparent response to criticism of its nuclear program. After the United Nations Security Council in March unanimously approved perhaps the toughest set of punitive measures imposed on the North in two decades, the North appeared to ramp up its missile tests.

Pyongyang’s ballistic missile test comes at a time when China is hosting the G20 Summit.

China is North Korea’s only major ally, but ties between the neighbors have frayed amid a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests and what many outsiders see as other provocations in recent years.

And Japan’s Defense Minister Tomomo Inada reportedly described the missile launches as a “serious threat” to his country and a sign that North Korea’s missile technology had “substantially improved”.

The missiles were fired from a western region south of the capital Pyongyang, just after noon local time, South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday morning in NY to consider a response to the latest missile launches by North Korea, diplomats said on Monday.

Following the news, world leaders from China, Japan, the United Nations (UN), and the USA have condemned the move.

South Korean military officials said the weapons launched Monday were probably mid-range Rodong missiles, which flew about 600 miles west before crashing into the Sea of Japan within Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone.

President Barack Obama heads to Laos on Monday evening.

The move also came just hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a meeting with South Korean President Park Geun Hye in Hangzhou, made it clear that Beijing opposed Seoul’s plan to deploy the United States’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) anti-missile system to protect the country against growing threats from the North.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approached Park during a coffee break at the G-20 and agreed to cooperate closely, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

During their meeting, Xi warned Park that “mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region, and could intensify disputes”.

The stated goal of the THAAD system is to defend South Korea from missile attack from the North, but Beijing views it as an attempt to shift the regional power balance in favor of United States allies.

Last month, it fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the northeastern port of Sinpo.

Xi also told Park that Beijing opposed the proposed deployment of a THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, which Seoul and the United States have said is created to counter an increasing threat from North Korea.