North Korea

North Korea fired another round of cruise missiles on Tuesday, according to Seoul's military, extending a week-long flurry of tests that Pyongyang has said include a new generation of weapons.

South Korea's military "detected several unknown cruise missiles launched into the West Sea of North Korea around 07:00 (2200 GMT)", Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hailed the test launch of a new strategic cruise missile from a submarine as a key moment in building the nation's naval power, state media said Monday.

Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.

North Korea fired several cruise missiles on Sunday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state.

The launch comes just days after Pyongyang fired multiple cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea, which it said was a first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles.

China's vice foreign minister met with North Korea's top diplomats in Pyongyang on Friday, state media said, as the nuclear-armed state has accelerated its weapons testing and threats toward Seoul in recent months.

China's vice foreign minister was in Pyongyang on Friday for a meeting with his North Korean counterpart.

China and Russia are North Korea's traditional allies, and Washington warned last year that military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow were "growing and dangerous".

The United States has called on Beijing — the North's biggest economic benefactor — to restrain Pyongyang.

In a move that has raised alarms across the international community, North Korea launched several cruise missiles from its west coast towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday morning. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea reported the missile launch, emphasizing that the details are under close analysis by intelligence authorities in both South Korea and the United States.

North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state.

Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile.

Barely two weeks into 2024, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rapidly escalating, as IFIMES Institute was periodically writing.

North Korea has announced the successful testing of its "underwater nuclear weapons system," specifically a nuclear-armed underwater drone known as the Haeil-5-23 system, as reported by the BBC. While North Korea has previously mentioned tests of this system, the weapon's existence has not been independently verified.

North Korea said Friday that it had tested an "underwater nuclear weapon system" in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.