North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles on Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, part of a string of weapons tests this year that have accompanied increasingly aggressive rhetoric from leader Kim Jong Un.
“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,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
It added that the military was “strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and closely watching for any additional signs and activities from North Korea”.
The cruise missile launches have prompted speculation from experts that it is testing the weapons before shipping them to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
So far this year, Kim has declared South Korea his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.
Pyongyang has also ramped up weapons tests, including cruise missiles, an “underwater nuclear weapon system” and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.
