(LEAD) N. Korea fired two cruise missiles off west coast on Sunday: sources

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SEOUL/WASHINGTON, March 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired two cruise missiles off the west coast Sunday, sources said Wednesday, in what is believed to be Pyongyang's first weapons test since the launch of the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden.

"What they fired were cruise missiles, not balletic missiles, and they were detected by our assets," a source said.

If confirmed, it would be the first known weapons test by the communist country since April last year, when the North launched multiple short-range cruise missiles into the East Sea.

Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are not sanctioned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. The North has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing since late 2017.

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