The South Korean military reported that the cruise missiles could have been launched from a submarine. South Korea and the USA now wanted to observe whether there were “further signs of provocations by North Korea”.

North Korea has fired several military guided missiles for the second time in just a few days, according to the South Korean military. The launch of the cruise missile was detected near Sinpo on the east coast, the General Staff in Seoul said on Sunday. Accordingly, they were apparently shot down from the water.

It was initially unclear whether the cruise missiles were launched from a submarine and how far they flew. Together with the USA, it is being monitored to see whether there are “further signs of provocations by North Korea,” it said.

South Korea's military last recorded the launch of several cruise missiles by North Korea on Wednesday. These therefore flew towards the west and fell into the sea between the Korean peninsula and China. A day later, North Korea spoke of testing “a new type of strategic cruise missile,” but did not elaborate further.

The designation as a strategic weapon suggests that North Korea may also have designed the cruise missile for the use of nuclear warheads. North Korea is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and missile programs. In contrast to ballistic missiles, however, tests of cruise missiles are not directly affected by the UN ban decisions against the largely isolated country. Unlike ballistic missiles, guided missiles have their own permanent propulsion.