North Korea fires cruise missiles into sea, says Seoul

Tests come a day before South Korean elections and Kim Il Sung’s birthday

North Korea has carried out a series of missile tests in recent weeks amid concerns the nation is hiding a serious coronavirus outbreak. (AP)

North Korea launched a series of short-range cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast on the eve of the 108th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il-Sung.

Fighter jets also fired several air-to-surface missiles in what appeared to be a military exercise ahead of South Korean elections due to take place on Wednesday.

It is the latest in a series of weapons tests in recent weeks amid concerns supreme leader Kim Jong-un is covering up a serious coronavirus outbreak.

Pyongyang has insisted not one person in the country has been infected with Covid-19, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

Experts believe the missile launches are a show of strength during a difficult time for Kim amid stalled nuclear talks with the US and continuing sanctions.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told The Independent: “North Korean media have recently touted the country’s ‘peaceful outer space program,’ which may portend a long-range missile test disguised as a satellite launch.

“The audacity of the Kim regime is such that it continues to test missiles in the midst of a public health crisis that is worsening the humanitarian situation inside North Korea and engrossing governments around the world.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the suspected cruise missiles were fired by troops based in the coastal city of Munchon on Tuesday morning.

The weapons flew more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the North’s east coast in what is beleived to be the North’s first cruise missile launch since June 2017,

Several Sukhoi-class fighter jets were then launched to fire air-to-surface missiles in the eastern sea. Other North Korean fighter jets also flew on patrol near the border with China, according to officials.

Most of the weapons tested by North Korea in recent years have been ballistic missiles or long-range artillery shells.

Additional reporting by agencies