North Korea launches cruise missiles off its east coast

A TV screen at a Seoul railway station shows North Korea's firing of a cruise missile. A.B

North Korea fired several cruise missiles off its east coast on Monday, the South Korean military said, the latest in a series of weapons tests, as South Korea and the United States hold joint military exercises.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that Pyongyang fired missiles from South Hamgjiong province.

It was not clear how many projectiles were fired and details of their models.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military was on high alert and that South Korean and U.S. intelligence services were analysing missile details.

"We will successfully conclude the Freedom Shield exercise, as scheduled, under a strong common defense posture," the military said in a statement.

On Thursday, the two allies are scheduled to conclude an 11-day exercise, dubbed Freedom Shield 23.

Meanwhile, the U.S. amphibious assault ship McCain docked in South Korea yesterday, the first large-scale amphibious landing drills for the two allies in five years, the U.S. military said.

The northern neighbour's latest missile launch comes just three days after it fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast.

North Korea has stepped up its military tests in recent weeks, launching an intercontinental ballistic missile last week and conducting what it described as a simulation of a nuclear counterattack on the United States and South Korea over the weekend.

Pyongyang has stepped up its criticism of the United States and South Korea. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported yesterday that a North Korean foreign ministry official said pressure to give up nuclear weapons was tantamount to a declaration of war.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said yesterday's launches may have included cruise missiles, which are among North Korea's strategic weapons. The word "strategic" is commonly used to describe weapons with nuclear capabilities.