North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, just under a week after Kim Jong Un paved the way for more weapons tests by declaring victory in his country¡¯s battle against COVID-19.

The South Korean military said it had detected the two launches from the Onchon area, near the North¡¯s western coast, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing an anonymous defense official in Seoul.

The official did not provide further details, including the exact type of missiles and launch times, but added that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were conducting an analysis.

The test of cruise missiles, which can fly at lower altitudes ¡ª potentially making them difficult to detect and intercept ¡ª was the first known launch of the weapons since January. North Korea last tested a ballistic missile on June 5, when it lobbed an unprecedented volley of eight missiles into the Sea of Japan in a move widely seen as practice for overwhelming the defenses of its enemies.

Last Thursday, Kim ordered the lifting of strict COVID-19 anti-epidemic measures imposed in May, clearing the way for the North Korean leader to focus again on his arsenal of increasingly potent missiles and nuclear weapons.

The launches came as South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol marked his 100th day in office, telling a news conference the same day that Seoul harbors no hostile intentions toward Pyongyang, and reiterating his willingness to carry out an ¡°audacious¡± aid plan for the impoverished nation so long as Pyongyang shows a firm commitment to denuclearizing.

That offer is widely seen as dead on arrival, as Kim is believed to view his nuclear arsenal as crucial for his regime¡¯s survival.

The latest launches also came a day after South Korea and the U.S. began preliminary joint military drills ahead of the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which officially kick off on Aug. 22 and run through Sept. 1.

The resumption of the large-scale drills, which had been toned down during the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, are expected to include advanced aircraft, warships, tanks and tens of thousands of troops. While South Korea calls the exercises defensive in nature, the North has labeled them rehearsals for invasion.

Pyongyang has ramped up its missile launches to a record pace this year, and the U.S. and United Nations have both said that it could conduct its first nuclear test since 2017 at any time, a blast that experts believe could be of a lower-yield bomb known as a tactical nuclear weapon. Some observers have said that Kim is merely waiting for the right time to conduct the nuclear test, which would be his country¡¯s seventh.