The South Korean military reported that North Korea has launched two cruise missiles from a region close to the capital Pyongyang into its western waters.
The Seoul General Staff has not disclosed other details at the moment.
North Korea ramped up its missile testing at a record pace in 2022, launching more than 30 ballistic weapons so far, including its first ICBMs in nearly five years.
Tensions could escalate further next week as the US and South Korea kick off the largest joint military training in years to counter the North Korean threat.
The North describes these exercises as evidence of invasion and has often responded to these with missile tests or other provocations.
The arms race towards a new nuclear test
The intensification of testing underscores North Korea’s dual intent to advance its arsenal and force the United States to accept the idea that the North is a nuclear power, so that it can negotiate economic and security concessions from one position of strength, experts say.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may raise the stakes soon, as there are indications that the North is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017, when he claimed to have developed a thermonuclear weapon to mount on its missiles. intercontinental ballistics.
Seoul: We do not aim for nuclear weapons
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his government has no intention of pursuing its own nuclear deterrent in the face of growing North Korean threats, and urged the North to return to dialogue.
Yoon told reporters that South Korea does not want political change in North Korea that is driven by force and called for diplomacy aimed at building sustainable peace.
Yoon’s comments came just days after Seoul proposed a “bold” package of economic assistance to North Korea in exchange for abandoning the nuclear program, after Pyongyang threatened “deadly” retaliation for the Covid epidemic. 19 which the South blames.
South Korea’s economic proposals
Yoon’s proposal for large-scale aid for power, health and the modernization of electrical and port infrastructure resembles previous South Korean offers that have been turned down by North Korea, which is accelerating the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. , seen by leader Kim Jong Un as his strongest guarantee of survival.
Yoon, however, expressed hope for a “meaningful dialogue” with North Korea on his plan and stressed that Seoul is willing to provide economic rewards corresponding to each stage of a gradual denuclearization process if the North commits to a true and its own “roadmap” towards the complete abandonment of its weapons program.