North Koreaupdated 1h ago3 min read
North Korea Tests Two Types of Submarine-Launched Strategic Cruise Missiles in East Sea
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NK test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea. Tests aimed to verify readiness of underwater combat systems and strengthen naval deterrence.
27 outlets told this the same way.
KCNA submarine cruise tests
North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, on Wednesday, KCNA said Thursday. KCNA said the test was intended to examine the current mobilization posture of submarine combat systems and to demonstrate the reliability, confidence, and capability of the means of war deterrence of the DPRK. KCNA said the launch was supervised by Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and Jang Chang-ha, director general of the Missile Administration.
“Rodong Sinmun, the country’s most widely read newspaper, did not report on the launch.”
KCNA also said engineers from the Navy’s submarine weapons system observed the tests, and it added that the test had no adverse impact on the security of neighbouring countries. Yonhap reported that Rodong Sinmun did not report on the launch, and it said the report came days after North Korea conducted a test launch of tactical ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the Sea of Japan.
Supervision and missile types
KCNA said the test launch involved two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles launched toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, under the supervision of senior military officials. Chosunbiz reported that KCNA said the Missile General Bureau test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea of Korea on the 14th, and it named Kim Jeong-sik, Jang Chang-ha, and engineers of the Korean People’s Army Navy’s underwater weapons system as observers. Al Jazeera Net said KCNA published images showing a missile launching vertically from the sea, leaving behind a dense column of smoke, and it also showed a projectile launching from the water at a 45-degree angle.
Al Jazeera Net said KCNA broadcast additional images of a missile flying horizontally above the sea, along with a submarine floating on the surface. DW reported that North Korea’s state media described the weapons as strategic, implying an intent to arm them with nuclear warheads, while DW said the report did not specify whether they were launched from an actual submarine or an underwater test platform.
Regional tensions and next steps
The cruise missile test came as Pyongyang and Seoul remained in a period of heightened friction after a landmine blast that Seoul blamed on North Korea, which wounded three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two countries. Al Jazeera said Pyongyang sharply accelerated military fortification along the DMZ as part of leader Kim Jong Un’s “hostile-states” policy, launched in 2023, to permanently sever ties with South Korea. EFE said the cruise missile launches in the Sea of Japan were carried out yesterday, and it said KCNA stated the test had “no negative impact” on the security of neighboring countries.
“KCNA stated that the test had ‘no negative impact’ on the security of neighboring countries.”
EFE also said Seoul protested North Korea’s earlier tactical ballistic missile test as retaliation for South Korea’s recent test of a hypersonic missile, and it said Tokyo noted North Korea had already doubled the number of tests this year compared to all of 2025. NBC News said the South Korean military did not immediately comment on the tests, while it described the state media report as strategic and implying an intent to arm the missiles with nuclear warheads.