North Korea fires ‘multiple cruise missiles’ towards Yellow Sea

Pyongyang launched “several cruise missiles” on Saturday in the Yellow Sea, between the Korean Peninsula and China, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said. North Korea, however, remains silent about the fate of a US soldier who fled into its territory from the south on Tuesday.

According to the same source, these rocket launches took place this Saturday around 4 am local time (19 GMT on Friday). They appear three days after two ballistic missiles, this time in the Sea of ​​Japan, on the opposite east coast. “South Korean and American intelligence are analyzing the launches and looking for signs of additional activity,” the South Korean military added.

Relations between the two Koreas are at an all-time low, diplomacy has stalled, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is calling for an accelerated arms race, including tactical nuclear weapons.

The latest cruise missile launches occurred when US soldier Travis King entered North Korea from the south on Tuesday and may be being held by authorities, the US military said. A soldier who was serving a prison sentence in South Korea for the attack was forced to return to the United States, where he was subjected to disciplinary action. On Friday, North Korea still hasn’t given Washington any news about him, and the US military said it was “very concerned” about the fate and “how Travis King might be treated.”

“The Pentagon tried to contact the North Korean military to inquire about the situation with King, but received no response,” State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Thursday.

On the same day, Pyongyang said that stopping a US nuclear submarine in South Korea could be “subject to conditions for the use” of its own nuclear weapons. The next day, Seoul responded to these threats by confirming that any such attack would trigger a backlash leading to the “end” of Kim Jong-un’s regime.