Alwaght- North Korea on Thursday fired four anti-ship missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula after US-led naval drills in the region.
South Korea's joint chiefs said the projectiles, launched near the eastern port city of Wonsan, were believed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles.
"We assess that North Korea intended to show off its various missile capabilities, display its precise targeting capability, in the form of armed protests against ships in regard to US Navy carrier strike groups and joint naval drills," Roh Jae-cheon, a spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staffs told reporters.
They flew an estimated 200km and were intended to demonstrate the Pyongyang’s ability to target a large enemy warship, the South Korean military said.
North Korean state media made no mention of the reported launches Thursday, but earlier warned Japan not to "gamble on its destiny."
"If Japan is concerned about its security, it should not act (as) a poodle of the US but withdraw its hostile policy toward the DPRK and remove the US military bases for aggression (sic) from its territory," the statement said.
The tests was aimed at an area in the Sea of Japan recently visited by two US aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan. The vessels left the area earlier this week after conducting joint maneuvers with South Korean and Japanese forces.
North Korea has tested the missiles less than a week after the United Nations Security Council passed fresh sanctions on the country over its missile program.
During the latest US drills in the region, China had called on all sides involved in the crisis on the Korean Peninsula to exercise more restraint and to refrain from provocative actions that could increase tensions.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been near boiling point following increased provocations by the US which include military drills and deployment of warships and submarines in the region.
Pyongyang insists that developing its military defenses including nuclear weapons is important to counter incessant provocations by the US including a possible nuclear aggression.
