North Korea fires cruise missiles into Yellow Sea
On Wednesday January 24, North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea.
This was announced by the South Korean army, at a time when tensions between the two Koreas are at their height.
Television shows a report on North Korean cruise missiles at Seoul Station, South Korea, Wednesday, January 24, 2024. AP - Lee Jin-man
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“
Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea
” around 7 a.m. Wednesday (10 p.m. UT Tuesday), the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
“
The detailed specifications are closely analyzed by South Korean and American intelligence services
,” he added.
Tests of cruise missiles, which fly in the atmosphere, do not fall under UN sanctions on North Korea.
And this unlike ballistic missiles, whose trajectory takes place mainly in space, and nuclear weapons.
These shots come as South Korea is conducting an infiltration exercise for its special forces off its east coast until Thursday, "
in light of serious security concerns
" with the North, according to the South's navy. Korean.
“
We will accomplish our mission to deeply infiltrate enemy territory and completely neutralize it, regardless of the circumstances,
” the exercise commander said in a statement.
Tensions between the two Koreas have sharply worsened in recent months.
The two enemy countries renounced agreements concluded in 2018 to prevent armed incidents, strengthened military assets on the border and carried out live ammunition artillery exercises near each other's territory.
War threats
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the South was
his country's
"
main enemy ."
He disbanded government agencies dedicated to reunification and contacts with the South, and threatened to declare war if his neighbor encroached on his territory “
even by 0.001 mm
.”
He also called for constitutional changes allowing the North to "
occupy
" Seoul in the event of war, according to the official KCNA news agency.
At the end of December, Kim Jong-un ordered the acceleration of military preparations for a “
war
” that could “
be launched at any time
”.
He denounced a “
persistent and uncontrollable crisis situation
”, according to him initiated by Seoul and Washington with their joint military exercises in the region.
The tone also rose a notch in the South, where conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol warned that Seoul would respond "
several times stronger
" in the event of provocation, highlighting the "
overwhelming response capabilities
" of its army.
Seoul and Washington have repeatedly warned that any attack by Pyongyang would inevitably lead to the destruction of its regime.
Read alsoNorth Korea: the country claims to have tested a solid-fuel hypersonic missile
(
With
AFP)
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