North Korea Test-Fires Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles

North Korea has test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday. According to the agency, the missiles were launched on Wednesday into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, and had no adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries. The test came after several weeks of growing friction with South Korea, triggered by a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between the two countries.

Background

The blast took place on September 21 in the Seoul-controlled part of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) and injured three South Korean soldiers. Since then both countries have tested upgraded missile technology. North Korea has carried out several ballistic missile tests in October, the latest on Monday. Last week South Korea test-fired its first homegrown hypersonic missile, days after Pyongyang said it had launched an AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

What KCNA said

The agency said the test aimed to examine the current mobilized posture of underwater combat systems and also served as a Navy training exercise. It said the launches demonstrated the high reliability of the war deterrents of the DPRK, the abbreviation of North Korea's official name. Published photos show a missile rising vertically out of the sea trailed by thick smoke, and another projectile that appears to leave the water at a 45-degree angle.

Expert view

Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP that the ability to fire from submarines at two different angles has tactical significance. In his words, vertical launches let a missile climb steeply before descending on its target, potentially extending range, while angled launches let it fly at lower altitudes from the start, making it harder for missile defence systems to detect and intercept.

North Korea has launched missiles from submarines several times in recent years, but its sea-based capabilities remain unclear. Proven submarine-launched ballistic missile capability would lift the country's arsenal to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a second-strike option. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty.