North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise missiles as leader Kim Jong Un pledged to continue ‘unlimited’ development of its nuclear stockpile, according to state media.
The launches involved cruise missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads, according to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim promised to ‘devote all their efforts to the unlimited and sustained development of the state nuclear combat force.’
The weapons flew over the country’s west coast for close to three hours, KCNA said. It did not reveal how far the missiles traveled.
KCNA said the drills were intended to demonstrate the ‘combat readiness of the nuclear deterrence force’ and ensure the country’s ability to carry out what it called a ‘swift and overwhelming retaliatory strike’ in the event of war.
‘The launch drill served as a clear warning to the enemies who are seriously threatening the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,’ KCNA reported, using the country’s formal name.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military detected the launch of multiple cruise missiles around 8 a.m. Sunday from the Sunan area near Pyongyang.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the launches were part of a series of recent military activities by North Korea that ‘undermine peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.’
North Korea has also recently highlighted what it claims is progress on a nuclear-powered submarine program, releasing new images of Kim inspecting construction at a shipyard alongside his daughter.
The Korean Central News Agency said the vessel is an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine that Pyongyang intends to arm with nuclear weapons. Kim has described the project as a key step in modernizing and nuclear-arming North Korea’s navy, though the regime has not provided independent verification of the submarine’s capabilities.
Analysts say North Korea fields multiple types of cruise missiles and has conducted several test launches over the past year, but there is no definitive public estimate of how many the regime possesses.
Outside expert assessments estimate North Korea has assembled roughly 50 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material to potentially produce between 70 and 90 weapons, though exact figures remain uncertain due to the secrecy surrounding Pyongyang’s program.
President Donald Trump has said he remains open to negotiations with North Korea, but Kim has signaled he would only engage with Washington if denuclearization is removed from the agenda – a stance that underscores the wide gap between the two sides.
Cruise missiles pose a particular challenge for missile defense systems because they fly at lower altitudes and can maneuver in flight, making them harder to detect than ballistic missiles.
North Korea remains under sweeping international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, restrictions that Kim has vowed to overcome through weapons development rather than negotiations.