North Korea continue to scare the world.
North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as a preparation for war.
South Korea's military said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can reach the United States. The missiles flew on average 1,000 km and reached a height of 260 km.
Some of the missiles landed in waters as close as 300 km from Japan's northwest coast, Japan's Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said in Tokyo.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said "strong protests" had been lodged with nuclear-armed North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N. resolutions.
"The launches are clearly in violation of Security Council resolutions. It is an extremely dangerous action," Abe told parliament.
South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn condemned the launches as a direct challenge to the international community and said Seoul would swiftly deploy a U.S. anti-missile defense system despite angry objections from China.
The U.S. military said it detected and tracked what it assessed was a North Korean missile launch, but it did not pose a threat to North America.
North Korea test-fired a new type of missile into the sea early last month, and has said it would continue to launch new strategic weapons.
Last month's test was the first since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed to rein in North Korea and its young leader, Kim Jong Un.
Gold prices are rising since the incident took place, as demand for safe-haven assets was boosted.
