N Korea fires missiles as US, S Korea hold drills

SEOUL: North Korea said on Friday it test-fired long-range cruise missiles off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training.

The launches, which were later confirmed by South Korea’s military, were intended to verify the reliability of the missiles and the rapid-response capabilities of the unit that operates those weapons, North Korean state media said.

The launches took place as the US and South Korea held a simulation in Washington aimed at sharpening their response to North Korean nuclear threats.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said the four missiles flew for nearly three hours after being launched from the northeastern coast, drew oval and figure-eight patterns above the sea, and showed they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers away.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the flight details announced by North Korea had discrepancies with the readings by US and South Korean intelligence assets, but it didn’t elaborate. It said the allies were continuing to analyse the launches.

North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in September 2021 and has implied the missiles are being developed to be armed with nuclear warheads.

It also test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday and a pair of short-range missiles Monday to demonstrate a dual ability to conduct nuclear strikes on South Korea and the US mainland.

North Korea has described the annual US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for a potential invasion, although the allies say their exercises are defensive in nature.