North Korea has repeatedly said there hasn't been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil.

The North conducted two previous rounds of similar short-range launches and other military exercises this month after leader Kim Jong Un entered the new year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of "gangster-like'' U.S. sanctions and pressure.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it has detected the three launches made from a town in the North's South Hamgyong province.

Believed to be in her early 30s, Kim Yo Jong is in charge of propaganda affairs and has frequently appeared at her brother's major public events including summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and other regional leaders.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launches in a statement but couldn't immediately say how far the projectiles flew or whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery.

North Korea warned in December that it may take an unspecified "new path" if the U.S. failed to meet its expectations with a new approach to negotiations.

South Korea has been increasingly sidelined as denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea have stalled.

A North Korean official on Saturday said that the U.S. and South Korea are dreaming if they think that U.S. President Donald Trump’s sending a birthday message would get leader Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table.

Disagreements leading to the prolonged standstill has dimmed hopes for achieving a full and verifiable denuclearization of the country through diplomacy.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is expected to announce major policy changes during his New Year’s address on Wednesday.