North Korea is back to its old ways , it seems . South Korea 's military has reported that its reclusive northern neighbor test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Wednesday morning from a site north of Pyongyang into the sea off its east coast . The military posturing came while the South 's leader , Park Gyuen-hye , met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague . United front . South Korean news agency Yonhap reported the three leaders urged tripartite cooperation in the face of North Korean antagonism . `` I think it 's very important for our three nations to display this kind of unity and shared determination , '' President Obama said following the talks . Japan has registered a `` strong protest '' with the North Korean embassy in Beijing , Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session Wednesday . But he said the launch would not affect Japan-North Korea talks scheduled for March 30 . `` It is a very important opportunity to make a strong approach to North Korea , '' he said . `` Japan is not considering the change of the plan as of now . '' It is believed that two medium-range Rodong missiles -- one at 2.35 AM ( local time ) and again a few minutes later -- were launched , eventually splashing down in the Sea of Japan , also known by the Koreas as the East Sea . Several launches of short-range ballistics have been conducted in recent weeks , including one that came within minutes of potentially hitting a Chinese passenger jet . It does not appear that North Korea issued any warnings ahead of Wednesday 's launches . If confirmed , this latest launch marks the first time since 2009 that the DPRK has fired the Rodong class of missile . `` It is a clear violation of U.N. resolution and we demand an immediate stop to ( the ) provocation , '' South Korean Ministry of Defense spokesperson Kim Min Suk-fyi said . Kim added that there are no signs to suggest further launch plans . North Korea launches 30 short-range rockets into the sea . Sending a message . The Ministry of Defense in Seoul believes the launch was a reaction to ongoing U.S.-ROK military drills as well as a `` message to the international community , '' given the timing with regards to the Dutch summit . `` These March 26 launches of medium-range No Dong ( also known as Rodong ) ballistic missiles represent a troubling and provocative escalation that the United States takes very ( seriously ) , '' U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said . `` We are closely coordinating with our allies and partners , including in the U.N. Security Council , to take the appropriate measures in response to this latest provocation and to address the threat to global security posed by the DPRK 's nuclear and ballistic missile programs . '' There are a number of U.N. resolutions restricting ballistic missile launches , including several specifically requiring North Korea to `` suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program and to re-establish a moratorium on missile launches . '' Chinese reaction . While there has been no official reaction from Beijing , North Korea 's recent saber-rattling is not going to help relations with China , one of the Stalinist state 's few international allies , said John Delury , Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies at Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul . `` There has n't been any fundamental policy shift but we 've seen high ranking Chinese officials express their annoyance pretty consistently , '' he told CNN . `` I think ( President ) Xi ( Jinping ) is getting an impression of Kim Jong Un as someone who keeps stirring the pot in ways that are detrimental and undercut the ways which Beijing wants to move . This is not going to improve relations between North Korea and China . '' The bellicose move comes at a time when North Korea finds itself increasingly isolated , blaming the United States for the breakdown of the six-party talks , and , according to South Korea 's conservative Chosun newspaper , even urging its military and officials `` not to trust '' China . Indeed , tensions involving North Korea and its neighbors are rarely out of the headlines . The North Korean state news agency KNCA Wednesday accused South Korean authorities of `` hurting the dignity '' of North Korea 's `` supreme leadership '' by dropping propaganda leaflets on five North Korean islands . North Korea launches missiles into sea . 'Abundant evidence ' of crimes against humanity in North Korea .
Two South Korean mid-range missile launches detected by the North Korean military . If confirmed , The Hague launch would be the first since 2009 . Launch comes amid joint Rodong military exercises and three -way summit in U.S.-R.O.K . Incident only the latest chapter in DPRK 's sparring with neighbors .