South Korea says North Korea fired several cruise missiles, adding to provocative weapons tests
South Korea’s military says that North Korea has fired several cruise missiles from waters off an eastern military port, in the country’s latest weapons demonstration in the face of deepening tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.South Korea’s military said Sunday that North Korea fired several cruise missiles from waters off an eastern military port, in the country’s latest weapons demonstration in the face of deepening tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It wasn’t immediately clear how the launches were conducted, although the North has previously tested cruise missiles from sea assets.
The launches were the North Korea’s third-known launch event of 2024, following a previous round of cruise missile tests on Jan. 24 and a Jan. 14 test-firing of the country’s first solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate his weapons development and issue provocative threats of nuclear conflict with the U.S. and its Asian allies.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan in response have been expanding their combined military exercises, which Kim portrays as invasion rehearsals, and sharpening their deterrence strategies built around nuclear-capable U.S. assets.