North Korea fires cruise missiles off east coast

North Korea has fired several cruise missiles in waters off its east coast. launch took place near the port of Sinpo.Neither the number nor type of missiles is clear yet says South Korea’s military.

Reporting the new launch, which took place at 08:00 (23:00 GMT Saturday), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said “our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea’s provocations”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been increasingly aggressive in his policy direction and rhetoric in recent months, ending several agreements aimed at peace-keeping and ramping up military action.

Pyongyang claims to have tested a new solid-fueled missile and its underwater attack drone, which can carry nuclear warheads.

Earlier this month, Kim Jong Un named South Korea as a “main enemy,” announcing that the former primary goal of reunification with South Korea had ended. This raised concerns that North Korea was preparing for war, South Korea said.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has said that if the North increases its provocations, it will respond strongly.