NK fires cruise missiles in fifth weapons test

North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple cruise missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that it was maintaining readiness while monitoring developments in case of additional launches.

The projectiles flew at least 150 kilometers from the eastern coastal town of Munchon during the 40-minute firings that began at around 7 a.m., according to the JCS.

Along with the projectile launches, the North also flew multiple Sukhoi-variant fighter jets above the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, and fired multiple anti-ground missiles into the East Sea, the JCS added.

It was unclear whether leader Kim Jong-un guided the latest firings.

In its fifth weapons test after previous rounds all in March, North Korea test-fired cruise missiles for the first time since June 2017, when it fired several anti-ship cruise missiles that flew up to 200 kilometers, double the prior range in 2015.

The latest weapons test came just a day before Seoul’s parliamentary elections and Pyongyang’s “Day of the Sun,” when it celebrates the birthday of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, who founded the country.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)