Added to its provocative streak of weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training, North Korea said Friday it had tested long-range cruise missiles off its eastern coast a day earlier. North Korean state media reported that the launches were meant to test the reliability of the missiles and the rapid-response capability of the unit that operates those weapons.
It was reported by the Associated Press that the four missiles flew for nearly three hours after being launched from the northeastern coast of Pyongyang, drew oval and figure-eight patterns above the sea, and were proving that they could hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away.