SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea has conducted a test of sea-to-surface strategic guided cruise missiles, as reported by the state news agency KCNA on Sunday. The agency stated that the weapons “precisely” hit their designated targets.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the test on Saturday, emphasized that “the war deterrence means of the armed forces of the DPRK are being perfected more thoroughly.” The missiles reportedly traveled along elliptical and figure-eight orbits covering 1,500 kilometers (930 miles), with the report confirming that there was “no negative impact on the security of neighboring countries.” KCNA did not disclose the location of the missile test.
This launch marks North Korea’s first weapons test since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Monday. Prior to his inauguration, North Korea had fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea. In a recent interview, Trump expressed his intention to reach out to Kim, referring to the North Korean leader as a “smart guy.”
The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the 1950 to 1953 conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Currently, relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at one of their lowest points in years, particularly following North Korea’s series of ballistic missile launches last year, which breached United Nations sanctions.
On Sunday, KCNA published a statement from North Korea’s foreign ministry that criticized the recent joint military drills conducted by Washington and Seoul. The statement asserted, “The reality stresses that the DPRK should counter the U.S. with the toughest counteraction from A to Z as long as it refuses the sovereignty and security interests of the DPRK,” referring to North Korea by its official acronym. It continued, “This is the best option for dealing with the U.S.” Such military exercises frequently provoke strong reactions from the nuclear-capable North, which views them as invasion rehearsals.
In late October, North Korea claimed to have test-fired its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and subsequently launched a series of short-range ballistic missiles. U.S. and South Korean intelligence reports indicate that North Korea began sending thousands of troops to participate in the conflict in Ukraine starting in October, which has reportedly resulted in hundreds of casualties. Neither North Korea nor Russia has officially acknowledged that Pyongyang’s forces are engaged in combat for Moscow.
