North Korea announced Monday it had fired a pair of long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea the previous day.
Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the exercise, emphasized the need to test the country’s nuclear deterrent amid what he described as growing threats to its security, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the North Korean embassy in China via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The country is believed to be steadily expanding its United Nations-sanctioned ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Analysts often interpret test launches as signals—either of Kim’s dissatisfaction or of a test of Washington’s resolve.
These launches remain a major source of tension with U.S.-allied South Korea. Kim has insisted the tests are defensive, citing joint military exercises and other cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
What To Know
The cruise missiles followed their predetermined flight path over the Yellow Sea, known in the Koreas as the West Sea, for 10,199 and 10,203 seconds before striking their target.
North Korea’s Kim Orders Test of Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missiles
