North Korea resumes missiles tests, firing two suspected cruise missiles as it continues its record testing pace

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday his government has no plans to pursue its own nuclear deterrent in the face of growing North Korean nuclear weapons capabilities, even as the North fired two suspected cruise missiles toward the sea in the latest display of an expanding arsenal.

Yoon's call for Pyongyang to return to diplomacy aimed at exchanging denuclearization steps for economic benefits came hours after the South's military detected that the North had fired the missiles from the western coastal town of Onchon toward the sea. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately release further details, including how far the weapons traveled.

Yoon's office said his national security director, Kim Sung-han, discussed the launch with other officials before Yoon addressed reporters in a news conference and reviewed the South's military readiness. Tensions could rise further when the United States and South Korea kick off their biggest combined training in years next week to counter the North Korean threat. The North describes such drills as invasion rehearsals and has often responded to them with missile tests or other provocations.