North Korea's latest provocations signal frustration with Beijing

SEOGWIPO, South Korea -- Since China, Japan and South Korea held a rare trilateral summit in Seoul on Monday, North Korea has carried out a flurry of aggressive acts, which analysts say indicate a particular irritation with traditional patron Beijing.

Early Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that Pyongyang had fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast. North Korean state media on Friday described the launches as "showers of fire for annihilation" that clearly show "what consequences our rivals will face if they provoke us."