Defense minister Lee Jong-sup said the military accurately detected the firing of four North Korean cruise missiles on Wednesday.

Appearing before the parliamentary defense committee on Thursday, Lee said the missiles were precisely detected, adding that, after an initial assessment, Seoul and Washington are in the process of a more thorough analysis.

The minister said that the North has made significant technological progress in the miniaturization of nuclear warheads and the loading of tactical guided weapons.

He also stated that Seoul and Washington are analyzing the possibility that Pyongyang can load nuclear warheads on several of its tactical guided weapons systems.

Lee also assessed that the North has advanced significantly in terms of the ability to actually deploy its nuclear weapons.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang fired multiple cruise missiles toward the East Sea from the eastern Hamhung area.