JABAR EKSPRES – South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Saturday.
South Korean and US intelligence are analyzing the launch, which took place at 4:00 a.m. local time, to learn more about the missile type and other details, according to the JCS.
“Our military has increased surveillance and vigilance while cooperating closely with the US and maintaining preparedness,” the JCS said.
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The missile launch came three days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
The action comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the port call of a nuclear-capable US submarine more than 40 years old and the inaugural session of the South Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group earlier this week.
USS Kentucky (SSBN 737), an 18,750-ton Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), left the Busan naval base on Friday, three days after a rare port visit as a show of great strength against an intensifying North Korean military threat.
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North Korea condemned the visit, saying the SSBN deployment could be unlawful due to its use of nuclear weapons.
Earlier in March, North Korea said it launched a strategic cruise missile “fitted with a test warhead imitating a nuclear warhead.”
At the time, North Korea’s state media said two “Hwasal-1” and two “Hwasal-2” strategic cruise missiles launched in South Hamgyong Province accurately hit targets set in the East Sea.
