North Korea conducted a strategic cruise missile test-launch in the Yellow Sea, aiming to showcase its nuclear deterrence capabilities, according to state media. Leader Kim Jong Un supervised the Wednesday drills, asserting their role in defending national sovereignty. The missiles reportedly flew for 130 minutes, successfully hitting designated targets. Tensions between North and South Korea continue, with relations at a low point and multiple missile launches by North Korea violating UN sanctions. Additionally, South Korean intelligence suggests North Korea has sent troops to Russia to support its military efforts in Ukraine, with reports of casualties.
Seoul:
This week, North Korea executed a test-launch of its strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, as reported by Pyongyang’s state media on Friday. The exercise aimed to showcase the capabilities of its “state nuclear deterrence”.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Leader Kim Jong Un was present during the launch, which occurred on Wednesday.
The KCNA highlighted that the drills served to caution North Korea’s adversaries about Pyongyang’s “counterattack capability in any space, as well as the readiness of its diverse nuclear operational resources”.
The missiles reportedly flew for 130 minutes before successfully “striking the targets”, KCNA noted.
During the exercise, Kim emphasized that it was the duty of North Korea’s nuclear forces to “protect the national sovereignty and security”.
He stated that a “powerful striking capability” provided “the most effective deterrence and defense”, according to KCNA.
Visuals from North Korean state media displayed Kim, accompanied by officials, using binoculars to observe a missile hitting and destroying a small structure on a nearby island.
While KCNA did not specify the location of the test, the specialized site NK News indicated that it likely occurred near the city of Nampho, approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the South Korean border.
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are currently at a significant low, with North Korea having launched numerous ballistic missiles last year in breach of UN sanctions.
The two Koreas remain technically in a state of war since the conflict from 1950 to 1953 ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
North Korea previously conducted a similar test in January, claiming to have launched sea-to-surface strategic guided cruise missiles, marking its first since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Intelligence from the US and South Korea suggests that North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to engage in the conflict against Ukraine and has reportedly sustained hundreds of casualties.
On Thursday, South Korean intelligence informed AFP that Pyongyang had dispatched additional troops to Russia, although a specific number could not be provided.
Additionally, it reported that North Korea had redeployed soldiers to the frontline in Kursk, a region from which Ukraine previously indicated they had been withdrawn following substantial losses.
Neither North Korea nor Russia has confirmed the involvement of Pyongyang’s forces in support of Moscow.
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