North Korea fired a number of cruise missiles off its east coast on Sunday, its second such launch in lower than per week, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated.

The missiles have been launched at round 8 a.m. (2300 GMT on Saturday) and have been being analysed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, the JCS stated, with out specifying what number of missiles have been fired.

“While strengthening surveillance and vigilance, our military is cooperating closely with the United States and monitoring additional signs and activities from North Korea,” it stated in an announcement.

The newest launches got here days after North Korea fired what it known as a brand new strategic cruise missile known as “Pulhwasal-3-31”, suggesting it’s nuclear succesful.

North Korea is stepping up confrontation with the United States and its allies, however officers in Washington and Seoul say they’ve noticed no indicators Pyongyang intends to take imminent army motion.

Kim Jong Un’s authorities is more likely to proceed and even enhance provocative steps, officers and analysts say, after it made strides in ballistic missile growth, bolstered cooperation with Russia and scrapped its decades-long purpose of peacefully reuniting with South Korea.

Earlier on Sunday, North Korea’s state media KCNA denounced a collection of army drills performed in latest weeks by U.S. and South Korean troops, warning of “merciless” penalties.

“The reality that nuclear war exercises against our republic have been going on like crazy since the beginning of the New Year demands that we be fully prepared for a deadly war,” the dispatch stated.

North Korea carried out its first take a look at of a cruise missile with potential nuclear strike capabilities in September 2021.