The provocative timing of the missile tests - July 4th is US Independence Day - signals Pyongyang's determination not to be cowed by recent moves by Washington to crack down on North Korea's suspected trade in arms and weapon-related material.
South Korean media reported that seven missiles were fired from North Korea's east coast on Saturday morning and early afternoon. The "scud-type" missiles flew around 250 miles, before crashing into the Sea of Japan. North Korea is banned from firing ballistic missiles under UN sanctions imposed before it conducted its latest nuclear test on May 25th.
The South Korean and Japanese governments described the missile tests as an "act of provocation". They follow the launch of four short-range missiles on Thursday, when US envoy Philip Goldberg was in Beijing seeking China's help in re-starting the stalled Six-Party Talks aimed at destroying North Korea's nuclear capability. As North Korea's biggest trading partner, China is regarded as the only country with any influence over the increasingly belligerent regime.
Tensions in the region have escalated sharply in recent weeks, with North Korea threatening to attack South Korea and claiming that it has started a programme to enrich uranium, which would give it a second potential path to adding to its small nuclear arsenal. In an effort to prevent North Korea acquiring further military technology, the UN Security Council approved a resolution on June 12th allowing for the inspection of all land, sea and air cargo in and out of North Korea believed to be arms or weapons-related.
Pyongyang has said it would regard the stopping and searching of any of its ships as an act of war. But North Korea does not have the technology to put nuclear warheads on its missiles and analysts believe the recent spate of missile tests are motivated in part by efforts to boost the regime's domestic standing, as its ailing leader Kim Jung-il prepares for the eventual handover of power to his youngest son Kim Jung-un.