Strategic Missiles Tested by North Korea
Pyongyang stated that the recent launch drill serves as a warning to “enemies” who are violating the country’s security. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
North Korea recently test-fired strategic cruise missiles to showcase its nuclear “counterattack” capability, as reported by the country’s state news agency KCNA on Friday.
According to KCNA, the missiles traveled a distance of 1,587 km in an oval trajectory, taking around 2.2 hours to hit their targets. This event marked the fourth missile test this year and the second since US President Donald Trump took office.
The launch was intended as a warning to “enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment” while also demonstrating “readiness of its various nuke operation means,” KCNA stated.
Images released by the news agency captured the cruise missile launch over the West Sea of Korea, where it successfully struck and destroyed its intended target, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un overseeing the test.
The report noted that Kim expressed satisfaction with the drill and stressed the importance of maintaining full preparedness to deploy the country’s nuclear arsenal.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed they tracked the missile test and reiterated their readiness to respond to any “provocation,” with support from the US.
In December, Kim pledged to enhance the nation’s defenses and “aggressively” pursue the “toughest anti-US counteraction” for the long-term security of Pyongyang, labeling the US as “the most reactionary state.”
Additionally, Kim criticized the US's alliance with Japan and South Korea, referring to it as “a nuclear military bloc for aggression,” and described South Korea as “an out-and-out anti-communist outpost of the US.”
Earlier this year, North Korea successfully tested a new hypersonic missile, with Kim asserting that the development of this missile system was aimed at “putting the country’s nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis.”
In recent years, the US and South Korea have increased both the scale and frequency of their military exercises. In response, Pyongyang has ramped up its missile testing, launching over 100 ballistic and cruise missiles since 2022.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to KCNA, the missiles traveled a distance of 1,587 km in an oval trajectory, taking around 2.2 hours to hit their targets. This event marked the fourth missile test this year and the second since US President Donald Trump took office.
The launch was intended as a warning to “enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment” while also demonstrating “readiness of its various nuke operation means,” KCNA stated.
Images released by the news agency captured the cruise missile launch over the West Sea of Korea, where it successfully struck and destroyed its intended target, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un overseeing the test.
The report noted that Kim expressed satisfaction with the drill and stressed the importance of maintaining full preparedness to deploy the country’s nuclear arsenal.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed they tracked the missile test and reiterated their readiness to respond to any “provocation,” with support from the US.
In December, Kim pledged to enhance the nation’s defenses and “aggressively” pursue the “toughest anti-US counteraction” for the long-term security of Pyongyang, labeling the US as “the most reactionary state.”
Additionally, Kim criticized the US's alliance with Japan and South Korea, referring to it as “a nuclear military bloc for aggression,” and described South Korea as “an out-and-out anti-communist outpost of the US.”
Earlier this year, North Korea successfully tested a new hypersonic missile, with Kim asserting that the development of this missile system was aimed at “putting the country’s nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis.”
In recent years, the US and South Korea have increased both the scale and frequency of their military exercises. In response, Pyongyang has ramped up its missile testing, launching over 100 ballistic and cruise missiles since 2022.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
