North Korea launched “several cruise missiles” into the Yellow Sea between the Korean Peninsula and China, Yonhap news agency reported Saturday, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.
According to Yonhap, the shooting took place around 4 am (7 pm GMT Friday). It comes three days after two ballistic missiles were launched, this time in the Sea of Japan on the east coast.
The agency added that “South Korean and American intelligence is analyzing the launches.”
This new military test also comes two days after Pyongyang announced that stopping a US nuclear submarine in South Korea may “fall under the terms of use” of its atomic weapons.
The threats, to which Seoul responded the next day, asserting that any such attack would mean the “end” of Kim Jong-un’s regime.
In 2022, the North Korean leader called his country’s nuclear energy status “irreversible” and called for strengthening its arsenal, particularly in tactical nuclear weapons.
The latest cruise missile launches come as US soldier Travis King entered North Korea from the South on Tuesday and is likely to be detained by authorities there, according to the US military.
The soldier, who was serving a prison sentence in South Korea, had to return to the United States to face disciplinary sanctions. North Korea did not hear from him on Thursday.
The leaders of South Korea, America and Japan are scheduled to meet in August in the United States to strengthen their cooperation in the face of growing threats from Pyongyang.
During the same month, Washington and Seoul are set to begin their major annual joint military exercise, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield.
North Korea looks at these exercises very badly, as it sees them as training to invade its territory.
