South Korea says North Korea fired cruise missiles in 3rd launch of such weapons this month

South Korea’s military says it detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its western coast in its third round of tests of such weapons this month

North Korea Weapons Tests (KCNA via KNS)

South Korea’s military detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its western coast Tuesday in its third round of tests of such weapons this month.

The launches came amid heighted tensions in the region, where the pace of both North Korea's weapons demonstrations and the United States' combined military exercises with allies South Korea and Japan have intensified in a tit-for-tat.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launches. It didn’t immediately provide specific flight details, including the number of missiles fired and how far they flew.

The launches follow tests on Jan. 24 and Jan. 28 of what North Korea has described as a new cruise missile developed for submarine launches.

The North also on Jan. 14 tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which underscored its efforts to advance its lineup of weapons targeting remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam.