Several cruise missiles fired by North Korea are fired off the east coast

SEOUL: North Korea launched several cruise missiles on Wednesday, the country’s military said. These tests are a continuation of this year’s weapons testing, which has coincided with leader Kim Jong Un’s more combative speech.

Kim has warned war for “even 0.001 mm” of territorial incursion, dissolved institutions devoted to outreach and reunification, and labeled South Korea as his nation’s “principal enemy” as far this year.
Additionally, Pyongyang has increased the testing of its armaments, which include cruise missiles, a hypersonic ballistic missile powered by solid fuel, and a “underwater nuclear weapon system”.
“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.
“Strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and closely watching for any additional signs and activities from North Korea,” the statement said.
North Korea said earlier this week that it had successfully tested a new multiple rocket launcher control system that it claimed will have a “increased” role in combat.
Experts have conjectured that the cruise missile launches are a test firing of the weapons before they are sent to Moscow for deployment in Ukraine.
In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made an unusual journey to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, further strengthening Pyongyang’s relations with Moscow.
In a move that would breach a number of UN prohibitions against both regimes, Seoul and Washington have accused the North of giving Russia weapons in return for technical help for Kim’s fledgling satellite program.
The present UN sanctions on Pyongyang do not prohibit the testing of cruise missiles, in contrast to their ballistic equivalents.
Cruise missiles are more difficult to identify and intercept than more advanced ballistic missiles since they are often jet-propelled and travel at a lower height.
According to expert Ahn Chan-il, a former defector who now heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies, “it is believed that North Korea exported large quantities of multiple rocket launchers to Russia last year,” AFP said.
He went on to say that some of the exported weapons could have had quality problems, and that leader Kim might be “taking action to address the issue” by conducting a recent round of testing.
Terminate South Korea
Kim described Seoul as the North’s “most dangerous and first enemy state and invariable arch-enemy” and reiterated last week that Pyongyang would not think twice to “put an end” to South Korea if it came under assault.
Following a North Korean artillery bombardment on two South Korean border islands in January, the South ordered a live-fire practice and issued evacuation orders for the local population.
President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has promised to meet any aggression from Pyongyang with force and has urged his armed forces to “act first, report later” if provoked.
Since taking office in 2022, the assertive Yoon has strengthened defense cooperation with the US and Japan, including increasing joint exercises, in order to face the escalating threats posed by Pyongyang.
According to a paper written by Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute, the North may step up its provocations in anticipation of the US presidential election later this year in an attempt to capitalize on the political impasse in the US.
North Korea may “conduct attacks on (South Korea’s) Baengnyeong Island, Daecheong Island, and Socheong Island based on their confidence in the advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities,” he said.
Beyond the domain of defense, Pyongyang and Moscow have become closer. On Friday, a group of Russian tourists—the first foreign tour group since before pandemic-related border restrictions in 2020—arrived in the North for a four-day visit.
Sanctions implemented after the invasion of Ukraine have made it more difficult for Russians to travel to Europe and the US. According to Tass, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has previously been to Pyongyang, said last year that traveling to the North may be suggested.