<\/p>\n
North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles into the West Sea on Friday, Seoul\u2019s military said, continuing a fresh streak of weapons testing as Kim Jong Un\u2019s regime ramps up \u201cwar preparations\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Seoul\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military had \u201cdetected at around 11am (0200 GMT) the firing of multiple unidentified cruise missiles\u201d into the sea off the country\u2019s west coast.<\/p>\n The South Korean military has \u201cstepped up surveillance in close coordination with the United States\u201d, the JCS said in the statement.<\/p>\n The military is \u201cclosely monitoring for signs of additional activity\u201d by the North Korean army, it said, adding they were \u201cclosely analysing\u201d the launch.<\/p>\n The Friday launch comes three days after the nuclear-armed North conducted what it said was a test-fire of a strategic cruise missile<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Kim also oversaw the launch of two Pulhwasal-3-31s, a new type of strategic cruise missile, purportedly from a North Korean submarine.<\/p>\n Pyongyang has also claimed this month to have tested an \u201cunderwater nuclear weapon system\u201d and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.<\/p>\n Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions on Pyongyang.<\/p>\n Cruise missiles tend to be jet-propelled and fly at a lower altitude than more sophisticated ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept.<\/p>\n Analysts have warned that North Korea could be testing cruise missiles ahead of sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine, with Washington and Seoul claiming Kim has shipped weapons to Moscow<\/a> as part of a possible illicit deal, banned by rafts of UN sanctions.<\/p>\n The latest launch follows Kim Jong Un inspecting warships at a naval shipyard as he looks to bolster his maritime forces as part of \u201cwar preparations\u201d, state media said on Friday.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, Kim has declared South Korea his country\u2019s \u201cprincipal enemy\u201d, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over \u201ceven 0.001 mm\u201d of territorial infringement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe strengthening of the naval force presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the country and stepping up the war preparations at present,\u201d Kim said at the Nampho Dockyard, according to the Korean Central News Agency<\/em>.<\/p>\n A nuclear-powered submarine was on Kim\u2019s strategic weapons wish list set out at a key party congress in 2021, along with a hypersonic warhead, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.<\/p>\n During his visit to the dockyard, Kim was briefed on various warships under construction as well as preparations for a \u201cnew huge plan\u201d assigned by the ruling party.<\/p>\n No details of the plan were provided.<\/p>\n