North Korea test fires strategic cruise missiles

North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles, state media reported Tuesday, in the latest display of its weapons capabilities as tensions persist on the Korean peninsula.

The Monday launch came a day after North Korea tested cluster bomb warheads, as tensions with Seoul have risen after a landmine blast along their heavily fortified border wounded three South Korean soldiers.

“The middle-sized dispersal warhead tipped on the cruise missile is capable of turning into ashes a target area of 5 to 6 hectares with its highest-density power,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday.

The test “perfected the capability to deliver a vertical strike against the target by improving the terminal manoeuvrability of the cruise missile”, KCNA said, “taking into consideration the natural and geographical characteristics of the targeted area.”

A North Korean official was quoted as saying the test was conducted “because our armed forces should defend the security of the country and deter all sorts of threats.”

“Various combat functions of such a strongest weapon system will help defend the DPRK from potential threats from outside and renew the military capabilities of the state,” the general director of the Missile Administration said, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name.

The nuclear-armed North recently trialled a range of weaponry including attack drones, a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

South Korea’s military did not announce the cruise missile launch, as it had also not done with Sunday’s test.

Unlike ballistic missile launches, North Korean cruise missile tests are not prohibited by UN Security Council sanctions.

Asked Monday about Sunday’s reported test, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Jang Do-young said South Korea and the United States were “closely coordinating and conducting a highly detailed analysis of its characteristics and specifications”.

“Our military does not announce all projectiles launched by North Korea,” said Jang.

“Whether to make an announcement is determined through a comprehensive military assessment, taking into account the protection of surveillance and reconnaissance assets and capabilities, operational security and other factors,” he added.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.