Provocative North Korea fires 3 missiles into sea

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into its eastern sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said.

The launch came as an apparent retaliatory protest at South Korea’s decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in the country.

Two of the missiles traveled between 310 to 375 miles, a sufficient range to reach South Korea.

North Korea routinely tests short-range missiles and artillery systems. The latest launches came days after the country warned of unspecified “physical counter-action” to counter the South's anti-missile defense system.

The Pentagon said the missile launches did not pose a threat to North America.

South Korea and the U.S. maintain they need the missile defense system because of volatile and aggressive moves from North Korea, which carried out its fourth nuclear test in January. It is pushing to develop a long-range nuclear-tipped missile that can strike the mainland U.S. Defense officials believe the North does not possess such a weapon.

The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.