North Korea on Sunday released photos of a strategic cruise missile test, aimed at enhancing its nuclear capabilities under the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command for comment. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
The Saturday launch of the so-called “sea (underwater)-to-surface strategic cruise guided weapons” was Pyongyang’s first publicized weapon test since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who recently described North Korea as a “nuclear power.”
The test, which was North Korea’s second this month, came after the U.S. military deployed reconnaissance aircraft for North Korea-related spying missions earlier in January. The U.S. and its ally South Korea also conducted an aerial war game last week.
What To Know
According to a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the test was part of a plan for developing the nation’s defense aimed at improving the effectiveness of its strategic deterrence against potential enemies in a changing regional security environment.
The report indicated the test involved more than one cruise missile, which “precisely” hit targets after traveling 932-mile-long “elliptical and 8-shaped flight orbits.”
The South Korean military confirmed the North Korean missile test, which said multiple cruise missiles were launched from an inland area in North Korea and flew toward the Yellow Sea, located to the west of the Korean Peninsula, at 4 p.m. Saturday local time.
A photo published by the Korean Central News Agency showed a missile flying over undisclosed waters, while another photo showed Kim inspecting the launch on the ground. The test had no impact on neighboring nations’ security, the report added.
South Korea‘s Yonhap News Agency said North Korea might be using a vertical cold-launch system to fire the missiles. The system, which is commonly associated with submarine- and ship-based weapons, ejects a missile from its container before the missile ignites midair.
Yu Yong Weon, a South Korean parliamentary defense committee member, told Yonhap that the test was likely part of North Korea’s efforts to strengthen its tactical nuclear capabilities by arming new warships and submarines with missiles.
What People Are Saying
Korean Central News Agency said in its report: “Kim Jong Un affirmed that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name] will always make strenuous efforts in a responsible manner to perform its important mission and duty for defending durable and lasting peace and stability on the basis of more powerfully developed military muscle in the future.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing: “The DPRK’s status as a nuclear power, its intense focus on increasing the range of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads, and its growing cyber capabilities all pose a threat to stability on the Korean peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region, and globally.”
What Happens Next
North Korea is likely to continue testing its nuclear-capable weapons as it has refused to give them up. It remains to be seen whether Kim will agree to meet Trump for talks.
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