North Korea fires several cruise missiles into East Sea

SEOUL, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- North Korea launched several cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast Wednesday morning, South Korea's military said, as tensions remain at their highest in years on the Korean Peninsula.

"Our military detected several unknown cruise missiles in the waters northeast of Wonsan around 9:00 a.m. today," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message sent to reporters.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials are conducting a detailed analysis, the JCS said.

"Our military is cooperating closely with the U.S. while strengthening surveillance and vigilance, and is closely watching additional signs and activities from North Korea," the statement added.

Cruise missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads, fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and pose a challenge for air defense systems.

Wednesday's launch marks the fifth time the North has fired cruise missiles since Jan. 24 and comes amid a flurry of weapons tests and heated rhetoric directed at South Korea.

On Monday, Pyongyang announced that it tested a new guided rocket launcher system for 240mm-caliber shells -- an advance that could improve the shells' range and accuracy, increasing the threat to nearby targets such as the South Korean capital of Seoul.

In recent weeks, the North also launched a new solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile and fired more than 200 rounds of artillery near the inter-Korean maritime border, prompting evacuation orders on a pair of islands.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, has kept up a steady stream of pointed threats toward South Korea and has publicly rejected a longstanding official policy goal of peaceful reunification.

Last week, he called the South the "most harmful and primary enemy of our country" and said Pyongyang had the "legality to attack and destroy at any time."

"If our enemies dare to use force against our country, we will make a bold decision that will change history and will not hesitate to mobilize all the superpowers at our disposal to put an end to them," Kim said.