North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its west coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, as the North’s leader Kim Jong Un called for his military to step up war preparations.
The firing of the missiles, which fell on the sea, marked the fourth time in just over a week that Pyongyang has conducted such launches.
The South’s military said the launch took place around 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) but did not provide further details.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the United States and South Korean militaries were analyzing the North Korean launches into its western sea.
It said South Korea’s military detected multiple missiles but it did not immediately provide a specific number or an assessment of their flights.
North Korea has said it had tested “strategic” cruise missiles, implying they may be designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Earlier this week, state media reported the country had tested its new submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM). Leader Kim Jong Un was on site to supervise the launch, which used missiles with the same identifying markings as the land-launched missiles.
South Korea’s military has said the North appeared to be testing the missiles to upgrade their capabilities.
The latest launch comes after the North said early on Friday that Kim had inspected a shipyard in the port city of Nampho on the west coast and stressed the importance of a strong naval force in “war preparations,” according to state media.
“Strengthening naval force is the most important issue in pushing ahead with war preparations,” KCNA cited Kim as saying during his visit to the dockyard, a military shipbuilding base also referred to as Nampho.
Kim was briefed on the construction of various warships under a new “huge plan” decided by the North Korean leadership, KCNA said, without elaborating.
KCNA said on Monday that Kim had inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships but gave no details.
Kim Inae, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said it was the first time the ministry was aware that state media reported on the North Korean leader conducting a military inspection in Nampho.
That could suggest an expansion of naval projects from the country’s eastern shipyard of Sinpo, which has been the North’s base for submarine construction. The spokesperson didn’t provide a specific answer when asked whether Seoul believes the North is using Nampho for its efforts to build nuclear-powered submarines.
“By making military threats routine, North Korea is trying to create a sense of insecurity among South Korean people to undermine trust in their government and to attract international attention to build an atmosphere in which its demands must be accepted to resolve the crisis on the Korean Peninsula,” the spokesperson said.
At a major ruling party meeting in 2021, Kim laid out a plan to develop and upgrade the country’s military capabilities, including the construction of nuclear submarines and underwater drones that can mount nuclear attacks.
Kim, in recent months, has emphasized efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation in response to Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
North Korea has accused the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions with large-scale military drills, leaving it with no choice but to step up preparations for a nuclear war.
The North has tested an array of weapons, including ballistic missile systems that are under development and an underwater drone.
South Korea’s army said its special operation troops wrapped up a 10-day training with U.S. Green Berets on Friday in a region near the country’s capital, Seoul, in the allies’ latest combined military exercises. In past months, the two countries had staged larger drills, including trilateral exercises involving Japan.
North Korean engineers in recent months have been making progress on Kim’s 2021 list of goals, testing for the first time last year a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, named Hwasong-18, which added to the North’s arsenal of weapons targeting the U.S. mainland.
The North on Jan. 14 also tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which underscored its efforts to advance its weapons that could target U.S. assets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam.
The North also plans to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 after sending its first one into orbit in November.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
