A way to check “nuclear deterrents in different spaces”, according to Pyongyang. The official KCNA agency reported that “the two cruise missiles precisely hit the pre-determined target in the East Sea of Korea”, in reference to the body of water also called the Sea of Japan. Current UN sanctions do not in practice prohibit Pyongyang from firing cruise missiles. However, tests relating to its nuclear arsenal are not permitted.
North Korea justified these firings in response to the exercises “Freedom Shield” conducted between US and South Korean forces. All military exercises of this type arouse the ire of Pyongyang, which regards them as dress rehearsals for an invasion of its territory, and regularly warns against an action “overwhelming” in response to these. Seoul and Washington “move less and less concealed in their military maneuvers against the” North Korea, commented KCNA.