North Korea launched two long-range cruise missiles early on Saturday as part of a tactical nuclear strike drill in response to recent U.S.-South Korea joint exercises, North Korea's state media reported.
Tipped with mock nuclear warheads, the missiles flew for more than two hours in figure-eight patterns over the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, racking up a total distance of about 1,500 kilometers, the official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday.
The warheads eventually detonated at an altitude of 150 meters above a target island, with the nuclear strike mission carried out to demonstrate the "will and capability to deter the enemies' attempts for a war of aggression," the news agency said.
Pyongyang also criticized the United States and South Korea for conducting a two-day joint guided missile firing and aerial bombing drill, following the end of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield large-scale military exercise through the end of August.
The latest launches from the mouth of the Chongchon River follow Pyongyang having fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan late Wednesday to demonstrate it is capable of launching multiple types of projectile.
North Korea also made an unsuccessful second attempt to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit on Aug. 24. The recent launches come as the country prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9.
The South Korean military said Saturday that the North fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea.
KCNA also reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Pukjung Machine Complex and a major munitions factory, though it is unclear when he made the visit.
Kim said the complex plays an important role in strengthening his country's naval forces. The state-run media agency reported last week that Kim said the country's navy would become "a component of the state nuclear deterrence."
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