North Korea fired several suspected cruise missiles Tuesday towards the sea, according to the South's military, with analysts saying Pyongyang was demonstrating the breadth of its arsenal.

The "multiple projectiles" fired from Munchon in the east of the country were believed to be "short-range cruise missiles", the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The test comes a day before the South holds parliamentary elections, and at a time when the world's attention has been largely focused on the coronavirus pandemic, which Pyongyang insists it has so far escaped.

It also comes the day before the nuclear-armed North marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un.