North Korea on Wednesday fired several cruise missiles toward the sea off its western coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, Reuters reports, indicating that this is the latest sign of increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, UNN writes.
Details
The missiles were fired at about 7 a.m. (22:00 GMT on Tuesday) and their launches were analyzed by South Korean and American intelligence, the JCS said in a statement.
The agency did not specify how many missiles were fired, but noted that further activities of the DPRK, which has nuclear weapons, are being monitored.
Although the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea's weapons development do not prohibit conventionally armed cruise missile tests, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik condemned the launches as a serious threat to his country.
During a visit to the 17th Fighter Regiment of the F-35 stealth fighter jet units, Shin also warned that the North Korean leader's regime would face death if it started a war.
"If Kim Jong-un makes the worst choice and starts a war, you, as an invisible force protecting South Korea, should be the vanguard in removing the enemy's leadership as soon as possible," Shin said.
Addendum
Pyongyang's latest missile launch came as a special combat unit of the South Korean Navy was participating in exercises along the east coast in Gangwon-do Province, which borders the DPRK, for 10 days.
The purpose of the exercise was to increase operational readiness after North Korea's recent artillery shelling near the disputed maritime border and weapons tests, JCS reports.
Pyongyang said that earlier this month it tested a solid-fueled intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which was condemned by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
North Korea's state media also reported last week that the country tested its nuclear-capable underwater attack drones in protest of joint military exercises by South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
The isolated DPRK also demolished a large monument in its capital that symbolized the idea of reconciliation with South Korea, on the orders of leader Kim, who last week called his rival the "main enemy" and said that unification was no longer possible.
Satellite images of Pyongyang on Tuesday showed that the monument, an arch symbolizing the hope for Korean reunification that was completed after a landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000, was no longer there, according to NK News, an online publication that tracks the situation in the DPRK.