North Korea test-fires two strategic cruise missiles from submarine

WORLD, March 13 (YPA) -North Korea said it has test-fired two “strategic” cruise missiles from a submarine ahead of large-scale military drills by the country’s archenemies, the United States and South Korea.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) carried the report early Monday, saying the launch had taken place from a submarine in  waters off the eastern coastal city of Sinpo a day earlier.

The projectiles flew some 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) before hitting a target in the sea, the report said.

The North’s latest missile launches from a submarine, the first since May of last year, are viewed as an attempt to keep the United States and South Korea in check ahead of their joint military drills from Monday.

Washington and Seoul are scheduled to begin an 11-day Freedom Shield exercise on Monday, along with a large-scale field exercise called Warrior’s Shield.

North Korea is widely expected to conduct missile tests at a time to coincide with joint allied military exercises, which Pyongyang has long denounced as a dress rehearsal for the invasion.

Kim has been inspecting offensive drills that simulate attacks on enemy airfield last week in a bid to check the “actual war” state of readiness of her military.

On Tuesday, North Korea warned that it would regard any interception of its missiles during tests over the Pacific Ocean as a “clear declaration of war,” the influential leader of North Korean Kim Yo Jong said.

E.M