North Korea launched several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea following two recent weapons tests.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the launches occurred around 7 am, with limited details provided, as per Yonhap news.
In a statement, the JCS emphasized increased monitoring and coordination with the U.S. for any further North Korean provocations.
These launches mark the first since September 2023, when North Korea tested two long-range strategic cruise missiles, simulating nuclear warheads, in the same region.
The tests follow North Korea’s firing of a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead into the East Sea, the first this year.
North Korean state media KCNA reported a test last week of an “underwater nuclear weapon system,” a response to joint naval exercises by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. KCNA claimed these exercises threatened North Korea’s security, prompting the test of the Haeil-5-23 system in the East Sea of Korea.
Early last year, North Korea tested an underwater nuclear attack drone, which it claimed could create a radioactive tsunami.
Relations between the Koreas have recently worsened, with both sides abandoning key agreements, increasing border security, and conducting live-fire drills.
Kim Jong Un recently labelled South Korea as North Korea’s primary enemy, disbanded reunification-focused agencies, and warned of war for any territorial breach.
