Politics

North Korea fires two cruise missiles in latest weapons test

Seoul, Jan 25 (EFE).- North Korea fired two cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, the South Korean military said, the fifth weapons test by the hermit kingdom in the first month of the New Year.

Citing an unnamed military source, the Yonhap news agency said North Korea fired two missiles towards the Sea of Japan from an inland area.

“We still need to conduct a detailed analysis (of the latest weapons test),” the military official told reporters in a background briefing on the condition of anonymity.

“But I want to say that should such a missile be launched southward, our detection and interception systems have no problem countering it.”

The South Korean authorities did not offer more details about the new test. Japan has not reported the launch.

The new test follows the launch of ballistic missiles on Jan 15 and 17 and two hypersonic missiles a few days earlier than that.

Cruise missile tests do not violate United Nations resolutions which prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

North Korea has not conducted nuclear missile tests since November 2017.

The fifth round of missile launches in 2022 comes amid stalled denuclearization talks between the reclusive nation and the United States.

Last week, North Korea warned that it might lift its yearslong self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests.

In 2018, North Korea announced that it would refrain from conducting nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.

Pyongyang took the pledge within the framework of the inter-Korean rapprochement process that led to talks on denuclearization of the peninsula and the first summit between North Korean and US leaders.

Talks between the two countries have been logjammed for more than two years.

Tensions have escalated again following North Korea’s recent missile launches, to which the US has responded with more sanctions. EFE

co-ahg/ssk

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