North Korea Tests Ballistic Missile Again: South Korean Military

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - North Korea has again tested a ballistic missile, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing South Korea's armed forces.

"North Korea launched a ballistic missile of an unidentified type in the direction of the Sea of Japan (or East Sea)," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The North Korean missile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported later on Thursday, citing Japanese government sources.

Just a day earlier, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the DPRK test-fired two long-range strategic cruise missiles that hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,242) away.

Two long-range strategic cruise missiles flew for 10,234 s [seconds] along an oval and pattern-8 flight orbits in the sky above the West Sea of Korea [the Yellow Sea] and clearly hit the target 2,000 km away. The successful test-fire clearly proved the correctness, technical advantages and actual war efficiency of the overall weapon system," the KCNA said.

According to the report, the test-firing was aimed at "further enhancing the combat efficiency and might of the long-range strategic cruise missiles deployed at the units of the Korean People's Army for the operation of tactical nukes and reconfirming the reliability and technical safety of the overall operational application system."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the firing of the missiles, the KCNA said, adding that the leader "highly appreciated the high reaction capabilities of our nuclear combat forces which proved again their full preparedness for actual war to bring the enemies under their control."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Thursday that Seoul is carefully looking at "various possibilities" on the strengthening of the US extended deterrence against North Korea's growing nuclear threat.

"As I said the other day, there are diverse opinions across our nation and in the United States regarding extended deterrence, so I am listening to them carefully and looking carefully at various possibilities. I'd like you to understand that it's difficult for a president to openly confirm or give a clear answer on such security issues," Yoon told journalists, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

According to Yonhap's report, Yoon's statement came after the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that Seoul has asked Washington to deploy its nuclear assets to waters around the Korean Peninsula in the event of a nuclear test by Pyongyang.

North Korea has carried out over six test launches since September 25 and more than 20 since the beginning of the year. North Korea has emphasized that its test launches are being carried out in response to the refusal of the US and South Korea to stop joint military drills, which Pyongyang believes threaten regional stability.