(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Feb 14 (KUNA) -- North Korea fired several cruise missiles off the east coast Wednesday, South Korea's military said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement it detected the missiles launched at around 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) into waters northeast of Wonsan on the east coast. But, it did not specify the number of missiles.
"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the US to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations," the JCS was quoted as saying. It marked the North's fifth cruise missile launch this year.
On Jan. 24, North Korea test-fired a new strategic cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, named Pulhwasal-3-31, for the first time. The country fired submarine-launched cruise missiles off the east coast on Jan. 28 and conducted two more rounds of tests involving Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles from the west coast in the same week.
Cruise missiles, powered by jet engines, fly low and maneuver, making them harder to detect and intercept. Hwasal means an "arrow" in Korean, and Pulhwasal means a "fire arrow.
Experts believe the North's unusually fast pace of cruise missile tests is aimed at enhancing the performances of the missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which could pose a serious threat to South Korea, the report added. (end)
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