SEOUL: North Korea Wednesday fired several cruise missiles off the east coast, the South Korean military said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said they detected the missiles launched at around 9 a.m. into waters northeast of Wonsan on the east coast. It did not specify the number of missiles, Yonhap reported.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it saw missiles fired around 9:00 a.m. into waters northeast of Wonsan on the east coast. It did not specify the number of missiles, Yonhap reported.
“While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea’s provocations,” the JCS said in a text message sent to the media.
It was the North Korea’s fifth missile launch this year.
On January 24, North Korea tested for the first time a new strategic cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, named the Pulhwasal-3-31.
The country test-fired submarine-launched cruise missiles off the east coast on January 28 and conducted two more rounds of tests involving Hwasal-2 strategic missiles from the west coast in the same week.
Jet-powered cruise missiles fly low and maneuver, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.
Hwasal means “arrow” in Korean and Pulhwasal means “fire arrow”.
Experts believe the North’s unusually fast pace of cruise missile tests is aimed at boosting the performance of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads that could pose a serious threat to South Korea.
