North Korea fires suspected cruise missiles into sea
April 14, 2020
North Korea launched several missiles into its eastern sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, adding that the projectiles are believed to be "short-range cruise missiles."
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement said multiple anti-ship cruise missiles were launched from North Korea's eastern coastal town of Munchon and flew around 150 kilometers (93 miles), before landing in the sea. North Korean fighter jets also fired a number of air-to-surface missiles afterward, according to South Korea's military.
North Korea launched a series of short-range ballistic missiles in March amid stalled nuclear talks with the US. It is less usual for the country to launch cruise missiles.
Tuesday's launch comes the day before the birthday of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and South Korea's general elections.
"South Korea and US intelligence authorities are closely analyzing related issues," said the JCS, a body that is made up of South Korea's military heads and has operational control over all military personnel in South Korea's armed forces.
South Korea's military is monitoring for more developments.
What are North Korea's cruise missiles?
Cruise missiles are self-powered projectiles that can travel at much lower altitudes than that of ballistic missiles, sometimes just a few meters above the surface, making them harder to detect. Some cruise missiles can also be controlled while in flight.
North Korea possesses two known cruise missiles: the KN-01 and the Kumsong-3, based on Russian designs. The missiles can be used for coastal defense against ships.
If the missile is confirmed as a cruise missile, it would be North Korea's first cruise missile launch since June 2017, reported AP, citing an unnamed official.
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Stalled negotiations
Talks between the US and North Korea have stalled since a summit between the two sides in February last year. The countries disagree on the sequence of nuclear disarmament and sanctions relief, in the talks over dismantling North Korea's nuclear and missile program.
UN resolutions have banned North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, while international sanctions aim to deter it from continuing its missile development programs that could carry nuclear warheads.
At the end of 2019, Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, said it wasfree from a self-imposed test ban on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles– which he had previously agreed to in talks with US President Donald Trump.
North Korea's series of ballistic missile tests in March prompted the JCS to criticize its northern neighbor's actions "at a time when COVID-19 is causing difficulties worldwide."
kmm/stb (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)