South Korea says North Korea has fired three ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, eight days after Pyongyang warned of a "physical counter-action" against the South over its decision to deploy an advanced missile defense system to better cope with North Korean threats, the AP reports. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that the short-range ballistic missiles were launched from inland between 5:45am and 6:40am and flew about 311 to 373 miles before crashing into the sea, displaying a sufficient range to target the southern part of South Korea, where Seoul and Washington have decided to station the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system. Seoul and Washington started talks on THAAD deployment after North Korea conducted a fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch earlier this year. (More North Korea stories.)