North Korea has launched several cruise missiles, world agencies reported, citing the South Korean Ministry of Defense, BTA reported.
The missiles were launched towards the Sea of Japan. At this stage, it is not possible to say what model they are. The launch took place at 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Bulgarian time) from Hamgyong Nando province. The missiles are believed to have fallen into the sea.
North Korea said earlier today that a "serious incident" had occurred during a ceremony to launch a new destroyer the previous day, with the country's leader Kim Jong-un calling it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the incident occurred yesterday at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chungjin during a ceremony to launch a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer, which was attended by the North's leader.
The stern slid prematurely along the platform. On its way, it hit an obstacle, which caused the ship to lose its balance. As a result, part of the vessel's bottom was damaged, and the front part (the bow) failed to leave the platform at all. Pyongyang said the cause of the incident was “inexperienced command and operational negligence“.