ANKARA

North Korea on Saturday fired multiple cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.

The launches took place at around 4 a.m. local time (19:00 Friday GMT), the JCS said, but did not elaborate further.

"Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance while closely cooperating with the United States," said the JCS in a statement on Facebook.

The latest missile launches came just three days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam warned Thursday of a “preemptive nuclear strike” following the arrival of a US nuclear submarine at a South Korean port this week during the first Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting between Seoul and Washington. The submarine, however, left South Korea on Friday.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid