Kim Jong Un Fires Multiple Cruise Missiles On Wednesday Amid Tensions With South Korea

North Korea has launched a series of cruise missiles, the fifth such incident in recent weeks, increasing security concerns in the region.

What Happened: The missiles were fired toward the waters off North Korea’s east coast on Wednesday, reported Bloomberg. The South Korean military detected multiple unidentified cruise missiles near the northeast waters of Wonsan, North Korea’s eastern coastal city, at approximately 9 a.m. local time.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea are collaborating with the U.S. to analyze the launch. They have assured that they are closely monitoring North Korea for any additional signs or activities.

"Our military is cooperating closely with the U.S. while strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and is closely watching for additional signs and activities from North Korea," it said.

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This recent launch follows four other cruise missile salvos by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un‘s regime since mid-January. This includes a new model designed for submarine launch. Although North Korea is prohibited by U.N. Security Council resolutions from testing ballistic missiles, there are no such restrictions on cruise missiles.

Kim is believed to be using these tests to demonstrate a variety of methods for launching a strike, thereby adding to the planning contingencies for the U.S. and its allies in the region, including Japan and South Korea.

Why It Matters: The recent missile launches add to the growing tensions in the Korean Peninsula. This comes in the wake of North Korea’s artillery firing near a disputed maritime border and weapons tests in January. The South Korean Navy’s special warfare unit had then conducted a 10-day training along the east coast in response to these provocations.

The missile launches also coincide with North Korea’s decision to terminate all economic cooperation agreements with South Korea and label the latter as its “primary foe.” This move was followed by a statement from Kim, asserting North Korea’s legal right to destroy South Korea at any time.

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