SEOUL—North Korea fired several cruise missiles shortly after a US nuclear submarine deployed off the Korean Peninsula in a show of strength against Pyongyang’s threats.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea at around 4 a.m. local time on Saturday morning. Seoul’s military did not say where the missiles were fired from or how far they traveled.
“Our military has increased surveillance and vigilance while maintaining strong readiness and closely cooperating with the US,” the JCS said.
The missile launch took place as the USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, departed South Korea on Friday. US warships can stay submerged indefinitely and fire nuclear weapons at targets thousands of miles away. Its port visit to the Korean Peninsula was part of the Washington Declaration, an agreement reached in late April between President Biden and South Korean President Yun Suk Yeol.
Amid rising nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, the US pledged to send strategic assets to the region to reaffirm its commitment to protecting its allies. On Thursday, North Korea warned that such deployment of nuclear assets could serve as conditions for North Korea to use its nuclear weapons.
“The US military should realize that it has brought its strategic assets into very dangerous waters,” North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam said in a statement. Kang said the USS Kentucky visit was a “direct nuclear threat” to North Korea. South Korea’s Defense Ministry denied Pyongyang’s allegation, saying the submarine strikes and other preventive measures are “an appropriate defensive response to North Korea’s continuing nuclear and missile threat.”
North Korea last fired cruise missiles from a submarine in March. Pyongyang’s state media said the underwater launch demonstrated the country’s diverse methods of delivering a nuclear strike.
Earlier this week, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles following a series of statements criticizing Washington for sending strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has repeatedly refused to engage in talks with the US. On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, scoffed at the Biden administration’s call for talks, saying Pyongyang would try to contain the US with “substantial exercises of force”.
US officials have attempted to establish contact with North Korea through multiple channels after an American soldier entered North Korea on Tuesday during a visit to the joint security zone on the South Korean side. North Korea has not responded.
Pyongyang has shown no interest in returning to disarmament talks, despite repeated offers from the Biden administration to do so without preconditions. North Korea is preparing to celebrate a major holiday called Victory Day on July 27. Pyongyang will likely hold a military parade featuring military hardware to celebrate the holiday.
Write to Dasl Yoon at [email protected]