North Korea has launched multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast, according to South Korea, in the latest evidence of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said in a statement on Wednesday that the missiles were launched on Tuesday at approximately 7 AM (2200 GMT).
The JCS stated that further North Korean activities were being observed.
Pyongyang’s latest missile launch comes as the South Korean Navy’s special warfare unit conducts 10-day training near the east coast of Gangwon Province, which borders North Korea.
According to the JCS, the exercise was designed to improve operational preparedness in response to North Korea’s recent artillery shooting near a disputed maritime boundary and missile tests.
Pyongyang said it tested a solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate-range earlier this month in a move that was condemned by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
The isolated North has also demolished a major monument in its capital that symbolized the goal of reconciliation with South Korea on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who last week called the rival a “primary foe” and said unification was no longer possible.
According to local media, an online publication that keeps an eye on North Korea, satellite images of Pyongyang taken on Tuesday revealed that the monument—an arch that represented hopes for Korean reunification and was finished following a historic inter-Korea meeting in 2000—was no longer there.
