Pic: Reuters

NORTH KOREA fired what appeared to be several land-to-ship missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, a day after the South postponed full deployment of a controversial U.S. anti-missile system designed to deter a North Korean attack. SEOUL: North Korea fired what appeared to be several land-to-ship missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure to rein in its weapons programme. The administration of new president Moon Jae-in, a left-leaning politician who favors rapprochement with North Korea, suspended the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems (THAAD), in what appears to be a concession to Chinese objections to the deployment. SEE ALSO: Japan holds evacuation rehearsals as North Korea insists on testing missiles

The missiles were launched Thursday morning from the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan and flew about 200 km (124 miles), South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. In the National Assembly Thursday, conservative Rep. Lee Cheol-woo with the opposition Liberty Korea Party said delaying THAAD is “neglecting the country’s duty,” while fellow party member Rep. Chung Woo-taik accused the Moon government of undermining the U.S. alliance, “while taking no measures whatsoever against North Korea’s missile launches.”

The South Korean presidential spokesman also said Thursday that Moon will reaffirm South Korea’s strong commitment to the U.S. alliance when he meets with Trump in Washington later this month. Moon, who campaigned on the promise of opening a new era of engagement with North Korea, complained that the THAAD deployment was rushed through, giving his government no chance to take part in the decision making process. During the first week of June, two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan, conducted military exercises in international waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. “It was to show off the capability of various types of missiles and is an armed protest to show off its precise strike capability against enemy warships regarding the (recent) joint naval training of the U.S. carriers, or to secure an advantage in U.S. and North Korea or inter-Korean relations,” said JCS Chief of Public Affairs Roh Jae-Cheon.
North Korea test fires several missiles, believed to be anti-ship weapons. The test comes immediately after South Korea suspends further deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system.