Seoul: North Korea fired three ballistic missiles early on Tuesday into the sea off its east coast that had a range of between 500 and 600 kilometres (300 and 360 miles), South Korea`s military said.


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The missiles were launched towards east from an area in the North`s western region called Hwangju from 5:45 a.m. local time (2045 GMT Monday) to 6:40 a.m., the South`s military said.


"The ballistic missiles flight went from 500 kilometres to 600 kilometres, which is a distance far enough to strike all of South Korea including Busan," the South`s military said in a statement. 


Busan is a South Korean port city in the south.


North Korea has test-fired a series of ballistic missiles in recent months including an intermediate-range missile in June and a submarine-launched missile this month.


Tuesday`s launch came days after South Korea and the United States announced a final decision this month to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South to counter threats from the North.


North Korea`s military has threatened to retaliate against the deployment of the system with a "physical response" once its location and time of installation were decided. 


China has also sharply criticized the decision as a move that will destabilize the security balance in the region.