NKorea fires 3rd set of short-range missiles as EU issues condemnation
This screen grab image taken from North Korean broadcaster KCTV on August 1, 2019 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching the launch of a ballistic missile at an unknown location in North Korea early on July 31. (AFP Photo)


North Korea has fired unidentified short-range projectiles, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Friday, citing the country's military as a source.

The launches, the third round of missile launches in a week, were fired off separately from North Korea's eastern coast early Friday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff told Yonhap.

The nuclear-armed North described an earlier missile launch as a warning to the South over planned joint military drills with the United States.

European Union members of the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea Thursday over its spate of missiles tests that have fueled fears Pyongyang is developing more advanced weapons.

Britain, France and Germany urged North Korea to "take concrete steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the US as agreed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un on 30 June."

U.N. Security Council resolutions ban Pyongyang from ballistic missile launches but Seoul said devices fired on Wednesday from the Wonsan area on North Korea's eastern shore were two short-range ballistic missiles that traveled around 250 kilometers (155 miles).

"Serious efforts by North Korea to re-engage diplomatically and make progress on denuclearisation are the best way to guarantee security and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as a brighter future for the people of North Korea," the European countries said in a joint statement.

Pyongyang and Washington are engaged in a long-running diplomatic process over the North's nuclear and missile programs that has seen three high-profile encounters between their leaders in the space of a year.

They agreed to resume talks during their impromptu June encounter in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, but that working-level dialogue has yet to begin.

"International sanctions must remain in place and be fully enforced until North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are dismantled. It is vital that the Security Council shows unity in upholding its resolutions," said Britain, France and Germany.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Thursday he has "no problem" with the launches.

"I have no problem, we'll see what happens but short range (missiles) are very standard," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio.