RT.com
14 Mar 2023, 19:06 GMT+10
The launches came a day after Pyongyang test-fired cruise missiles from a submarine amid US military drills
The South Korean military has said it detected the launches of two short-range ballistic missiles by the North early on Tuesday. The latest show of force by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) came as Washington and Seoul began major joint military exercises on the peninsula on Monday
Pyongyang has repeatedly said it views the drills as nothing short of a preparation for an attack on its territory.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying the rockets launched from the southwestern Jangyon area traveled 620 kilometers, before landing in the sea off the east coast.
Seoul's military condemned the launches "as an act of significant provocation that harms peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the international community." The statement cited by Yonhap also noted that Seoul will be keeping a close watch on its neighbor for any signs of "additional provocations."
On Monday, Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country had launched cruise missiles from a submarine the day before - in what is believed to have been the first such test by the North.
According to KCNA, successful test-firing "confirmed the reliability of the weapon." The outlet said the exercise illustrated the progress the DPRK has made in ensuring it has "different" delivery options for its "nuclear war deterrence means."
The latest launches come against a backdrop of massive US-South Korea military drills codenamed Freedom Shield, which kicked off on Monday. The two allies cited a growing threat from the North, which fired a record number of missiles in 2022.
The ongoing exercises follow joint maneuvers conducted earlier this year, some of which featured US B-52H strategic bombers.
The DPRK had repeatedly warned Washington and Seoul against holding the drills, accusing the two of rehearsing a war of aggression against the North.
Last Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on his military to be ready to engage in "real" combat "at any time," as reported by KCNA.
Get a daily dose of North Korea Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to North Korea Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...