North Korea has fired several cruise missiles in the direction of the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean peninsula, according to the South Korean military. The guided missiles were shot down early Saturday morning, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean Armed Forces General Staff in Seoul. Intelligence agencies from South Korea and the United States were investigating the shootings, it said.
North Korea is banned by UN resolutions from testing ballistic missiles, which – depending on the design – can also carry nuclear warheads. Tests of cruise missiles are not subject to sanctions against Pyongyang. However, such weapons can also be used to deploy nuclear warheads.
After an unprecedented series of missile tests last year, North Korea has again tested multiple missiles and guided missiles this year. Most recently, it fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Wednesday. The communist-ruled country is largely isolated internationally.
