After the missile tests in March, North Korea now apparently fires cruise missiles. The latest weapons tests are on an important holiday in the country.
Seoul (AP) - The self-declared nuclear power of North Korea demonstrates military strength before Wednesday's 108th birthday of its "eternal president" Kim Il Sung.
As part of new weapons tests, the country fired several suspected short-range cruise missiles over the open sea, as well as missiles from fighter jets, according to the General Staff in South Korea. The technical details of the tests would be analyzed together with the US authorities. In March, North Korea resumed missile testing after a three-month hiatus.
According to the South Korean military, several storeys were fired from the north Korean east coast near the city of Munchon in the morning (local time) within around 40 minutes. It is believed to have been guided missiles aimed at ships. They flew about 150 kilometers and then plunged into the sea, it was said.
The highest command authority in South Korea assumed that North Korean Sukhoi fighter jets would fire air-to-surface missiles separately from the sea during military exercises on the east coast. At first, no further details were known.
The communist leadership in Pyongyang often takes important holidays, such as the birthday of Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994 and was revered as the founder of the state, as an opportunity to show military strength. The latest weapons tests also took place one day before the general election in the ideologically hostile neighboring country of South Korea.
North Korea has been driving its missile program for many years. The focus is on the development of ballistic missiles, which, depending on the type, could also be equipped with nuclear warheads. That is why tough international sanctions apply. Negotiations between North Korea and the United States over the North Korean nuclear weapons program have been stuck for months.
The isolated country is also developing further weapon systems, including guided missiles. In May last year, the country claimed to have tested tactical guided missiles in addition to multiple rocket launcher systems.
North Korea last conducted missile tests for the fourth time that month in late March. According to estimates from South Korea and Japan, the two missiles that were shot down were probably short-range ballistic missiles.