North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles into the sea over the weekend, just two days following the conclusion of an 11-day joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea. This exercise had been viewed by Pyongyang as a potential rehearsal for invasion.
The South Korean military detected these missile launches early on Saturday morning, near the western coast of North Korea, according to a statement released by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, as reported by the Associated Press. Both South Korean and US intelligence authorities are actively analyzing the specifics of these missile launches.
The statement also emphasized that Seoul has heightened its surveillance readiness and is maintaining a strong military preparedness, in close collaboration with the United States.
It’s worth noting that while North Korea characterizes these joint military exercises as rehearsals for invasion, both South Korean and US officials insist that their drills are purely defensive in nature.
Notably, just before the conclusion of the US-South Korea military exercises, North Korea had fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, citing their intention to simulate “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea. Additionally, North Korea claimed to be concurrently conducting a command post exercise aimed at practicing an occupation of South Korean territory in the event of a conflict.