This undated picture, released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 12, 2020, shows a fighter jet performing a demonstration during an inspection of a pursuit assault plane group by the country’s leader in the western area of North Korea. (Via AFP)

South Korea says the North has fired multiple short-range cruise missiles into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said several air-to-surface missiles were fired from fighter jets on Tuesday.

After flying about 150 kilometers, the projectiles went down into the North’s eastern waters.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pyongyang.

The JCS said that it was monitoring for more developments and that US intelligence officials were conducting more analysis of the launch.

This was the latest launch since March, when Pyongyang fired nine short-range ballistic missiles, a record quantity for the country in a month.

The new test-launches come on the eve of the 108th birthday of the North’s late founder, Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un.

Since December last year, the country has test-fired multiple rockets and missiles. Back then, Kim ended a moratorium on the country’s missile tests and said North Korea would soon develop a new strategic weapon.

The ending of the moratorium came after the United States repeatedly refused to relieve any of the sanctions on the North even though Pyongyang had taken several goodwill steps in the course of now-stalled diplomacy with Washington.

The United Nations Security Council, the US, South Korea, and other bodies have slapped multiple sets of sanctions on Pyongyang over its weapons programs.

SOURCE: PRESS TV