North Korea fires 'several cruise missiles' into sea

This would be the latest North Korean missile launch since the reclusive Asian nation fired two ballistic missiles on Wednesday.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear weapons.   / Photo: Reuters Archive
Reuters Archive

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear weapons.   / Photo: Reuters Archive

North Korea has fired "several cruise missiles" into the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Saturday's launch, which Yonhap said took place around 4 am [local time], comes only three days after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea on its opposite coast amid rising tensions on the peninsula.

On Wednesday, North Korea fired missiles hours after a US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine [SSBN] surfaced for a rare visit to South Korea.

North Korea also warned on Thursday that deployment of US aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

It also comes as a US soldier is believed to be in Pyongyang's custody after breaking away from a tour group visiting the Demilitarized Zone.

The United States has said it is "very concerned" about how Private Second Class Travis King would be treated, and that as of Thursday, Pyongyang had yet to respond to inquiries about the soldier.

King was due to return to the United States to face military discipline after serving jail time in South Korea for assault.

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South Korea warns North's nuclear attack would bring its 'end'

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang's defence minister warned on Thursday that this week's port visit of a US nuclear-capable submarine to Busan — the first since 1981 — could meet the legal threshold for the North to use its nuclear weapons.

North Korea last year adopted a sweeping nuclear law, setting out an array of scenarios — some of them vague — in which it could use its nukes, including preemptive nuclear strikes if threatened.

The US submarine's port visit is a "legitimate defensive response" to Pyongyang's ongoing nuclear threats, it said.

In response, Seoul told North Korea that using its nukes would mean the "end" of Kim Jong Un's regime.

As Seoul and Washington have "made clear" before, "any nuclear attack on the alliance will face an immediate, overwhelming and decisive response", Seoul's defence ministry said in a statement early on Friday.

China urged to stop North Korea sanctions evasion in its waters

The Group of Seven, European Union and three other countries plan to appeal to China for help to stop North Korea evading United Nations sanctions by using Chinese territorial waters, according to their letter seen by the Reuters news agency on Friday.

"We have concerns regarding the continuing presence of multiple oil tankers ... that use your territorial waters in Sansha Bay as refuge to facilitate their trade of sanctioned petroleum products to the DPRK," said the letter to be sent to China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun.

The letter — signed by G7 members the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain, plus Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the European Union — will provide satellite images that "clearly indicates these practices continued to occur within China's jurisdiction in 2022 and have continued in 2023."

North Korea, formally named Democratic People's Republic of Korea [or DPRK], has been under UN sanctions for its missiles and nuclear programmes since 2006.

This includes an annual cap of its imports of refined petroleum and crude oil, imposed in 2017.

UN sanctions monitors have also long accused North Korea of evading the measures, including by continuing illicit imports of refined petroleum and exports of coal.

The Security Council has also blacklisted several ships for sanctions busting.

The satellite images to be provided to China show some of those ships using its territorial waters.

"We encourage the Chinese government again to do more to identify and prevent these vessels from anchoring or loitering in Chinese territorial waters," the letter said.

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South Korean, US, and Japanese leaders to hold trilateral summit

Route 6