North Korea on Wednesday (Feb 14) morning fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, the South Korean military claimed.
Wednesday’s missile launch took place around 9 am local time (0000 GMT) off the eastern coastal city of Wonsan which is the latest in a string of weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang this year.
“Our military detected several unknown cruise missiles over the waters northeast of Wonsan around 09:00 today and South Korea-US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
“While strengthening surveillance and vigilance, our military is cooperating closely with the United States and closely monitoring additional signs and activities from North Korea,” it added.
Pyongyang is yet to confirm the claims made by the Seoul military.
Notably, earlier this week, North Korea claimed it had tested a new control system for a multiple rocket launcher which would have an “increased” battlefield role. Experts believe that the fresh missile launches may have been conducted using the new system.
Previous missile launches
The multiple missile launch comes in the backdrop of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch of Pulhwasal-3-31 missiles from a submarine last month.
The two Pulhwasal-3-31 missiles were fired off the east coast on January 28 and remained in the air for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds, according to state-run news agency KCNA.
Prior to that, Pyongyang conducted cruise missile tests on January 24 and January 14, which were the country’s first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
“The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea (South Korea),” said Kim.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed of a strong response if Pyongyang does indeed cross the line. Yoon has urged his military to “act first, report later” if provoked.
(With inputs from agencies)
