N. Korea appears to have fired cruise missiles, says South Korea 

Seoul: North Korea appeared to have fired two cruise missiles Tuesday morning, South Korea's military said, in what would be the nuclear-armed country's fifth weapons test this month.

South Korea's military is assessing the launches to determine the nature of the projectiles. Cruise missiles are not banned under the United Nations sanctions imposed on Pyongyang, unlike ballistic missiles.

Such a launch would be its fifth missile test of the year, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster the military with cutting-edge technology at a time when talks with South Korea and the United States have stalled. read more

The isolated nation's biggest cluster of missile launches since at least 2019 has prompted an expression of concern from the U.N. secretary general, and the Biden administration has applied new sanctions. read more

Lee Sang-min, a military expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses say the missile volleys this month look to be aimed at building geopolitical tensions and perhaps push the Biden administration to come up with a new strategy toward North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Cruise missiles are slower than ballistic missiles and so are regarded as less of a threat, but they hit targets with high precision, something North Korea would continue to develop," said Lee said.

Cruise missile launches by the North are not banned under United Nations sanctions imposed on Pyongyang, which has defied international condemnation and conducted four rounds of ballistic missile tests, the most recent on Jan. 17. read more

China and Russia have pushed the U.N. Security Council to remove a ban on Pyongyang's exports of statues, seafood and textiles, and raise a refined petroleum imports cap.

North Korea has said it is open to talks, but only if the United States and others drop "hostile policies" such as sanctions and military drills.

SOURCE: REUTERS