North Korea said on Monday it fired long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea to test the country’s nuclear deterrence, days after it showed apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.
The official Korean Central News Agency reported that the missile launches occurred off the country’s west coast on Sunday in the presence of leader Kim Jong-un. State media shared photos of the missiles being fired and hitting a target.
It said Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over the launches and noted that testing the reliability of North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and demonstrating its might are “just a responsible exercise of the right to self-defence and war deterrence” in the face of external security threats.
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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was aware of several cruise missile launches made from North Korea’s capital region on Sunday morning. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any potential North Korean provocations through its alliance with the United States.
UN Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from launches involving its huge stockpile of ballistic missiles. Its cruise missile tests are not banned, but they still pose a threat to the US and South Korea because they are highly manoeuvrable and fly at low altitudes to avoid radar detection.
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Analysts say North Korea would aim to use cruise missiles to strike US warships and aircraft carriers in the event of conflict.