North Korea launched two cruise missiles from the west coast towards the Yellow Sea, coinciding with joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington. While the South Korean president expressed his willingness to hold talks with his North neighbor to reduce tension.
A South Korean military source said that North Korea fired two cruise missiles from the West Coast town of Oncheon early Wednesday morning.
The source added that the military authorities in South Korea and the United States are analyzing the details of the two missiles' flight, including their range.
The launches come as South Korea and the United States on Tuesday began their initial four-day joint exercises in preparation for the long-delayed Ulchi Freedom Shield live-fire exercise that will take place from August 22 to September 1.
The two allies have scaled back joint military exercises in the past few years due to COVID-19 and to ease tension with North Korea, which has said the exercises are a prelude to invasion.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that the United States, South Korea and Japan participated in a ballistic missile defense exercise off the coast of Hawaii last week, the first such exercises since 2017, as relations between Seoul and Tokyo fell to their lowest levels in years. .
While Pyongyang has not conducted a missile test in two months, it battled the COVID-19 outbreak for several months before declaring victory over the virus last week.
However, it was noted that North Korea is preparing for a possible nuclear test, which will be its first since 2017.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol said Wednesday that he is ready to provide economic assistance to North Korea if it ends its nuclear program and begins denuclearization, at a press conference marking his 100th day in office.
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