SEOUL – North Korea tested its new strategic cruise missiles for the second time in a week on Sunday, calling them a newly developed submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM), accelerating the nuclear arming of its navy, state media reported on Monday.
Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of the missile, called “Pulhwasal-3-31,” which is identical to the strategic cruise missiles that North Korea said last week were in development.
State news agency KCNA and the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the missiles flew over the sea off the country’s east coast for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds and hit an unspecified island target, indicating that the flight time exceeded the two hours.
Kim called the test a success, KCNA said, “which is of strategic importance to carry out the plan… to modernize the military, which aims to build a powerful naval force.”
South Korea’s military said Sunday that North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its coast, but did not provide details.
Last week, North Korea said it had tested a new strategic cruise missile, indicating it was designed to carry a nuclear warhead, but at the time it did not mention that it was being developed for launch from submarines.
North Korea tested a newly developed submarine-launched cruise missile on January 28, 2024, according to the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS Kim Jong Un at the launch of “Pulhwasal-3-31”. KCNA via REUTERS
State media photographs published on Monday showed a missile launching into a cloudy sky from the water, followed by a plume of smoke obscuring the type of platform it was fired from.
North Korea’s cruise missiles tend to be less controversial and are not explicitly banned in UN Security Council resolutions.
But analysts have said that intermediate-range cruise missiles are no less of a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.
The missiles flew for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds, according to state media. Via REUTERS
In recent months, North Korea has tested a number of weapons including ballistic missile systems under development and an underwater drone.
Kim separately inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships, KCNA said, but gave no details.
Last year, North Korea launched what it called its first operational nuclear attack submarine, which analysts said appeared to be a modification of an existing submarine and likely designed to carry ballistic and cruise missiles.
Kim declared the test a success, according to KCNA. KCNA via REUTERS
There was skepticism about the real-world usefulness of such a ship, especially compared to more advanced land-based missile systems, because its diesel propulsion generates noise and has limited range, according to weapons experts.
Kim said at the time that the country would accelerate the program to build nuclear-powered submarines.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn