SEOUL • South Korea, Japan, China and the US have condemned North Korea for firing four ballistic missiles, three of which flew 1,000km to land in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Yesterday's provocation came amid an annual joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, which the North views as preparation for war.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will not tolerate such repeated acts of aggression.

South Korea's Acting President Hwang Kyo Ahn called for an early deployment of a US anti-missile system to protect South Korea.

China criticised North Korea for the missile launch, saying it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. But a Foreign Ministry spokesman also put part of the blame on the US-South Korea military drills, which Beijing earlier warned "may widen divisions and complicate the issue".

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