On Wednesday, Seoul’s military stated that North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, the latest in a series of weapons tests this year.
In a statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, “Our military detected several unknown cruise missiles over the waters northeast of Wonsan around 09:00 today (1200 GMT) and South Korea-US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis”.
It went on to say that it was strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and closely watching for any additional signs and activities from North Korea.
Earlier this week, North Korea claimed the testing of a new control system for a multiple rocket launcher with an increased battlefield role.
North Korean leader has called South Korea his country’s principal enemy this year, disbanded reunification and outreach agencies, and warned of war over even 0.001 mm of territorial incursion.
North Korea has increased weapons tests, including an underwater nuclear weapon system test and the launch of a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.
Pyongyang has also launched a slew of cruise missiles, sparking speculation among analytics that it is testing the weapons before delivering them to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
In recent months, Pyongyang and Moscow have strengthened ties, with leader Kim Jong Un making a rare visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in September.
Seoul and the United States have accused the North of supplying Russia with weapons in exchange for Moscow’s technical assistance with Kim’s fledgling satellite programme, which would breach a raft of UN sanctions against both countries.
Unlike their ballistic missiles, cruise missile testing is not prohibited by current UN sanctions on Pyongyang.
Cruise missiles are jet-propelled and fly at lower altitudes than more advanced ballistic missiles, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.
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