North Korea conducts cruise missile test, threatening US with “toughest counteraction”
North Korea has tested a strategic cruise missile for the first time since the inauguration of Donald Trump, declaring the “toughest countermeasure against the United States”. About this reported in the country’s state news agency (KNCA).
According to KCNA, the launch was carried out from a submarine, and the country’s leader Kim Jong-un personally watched this show of force. The missiles covered a distance of 1,500 kilometers, being in the air from 7,507 to 7,511 seconds, after which they successfully hit the intended targets. The test was called a “key weapon system” that demonstrates North Korea’s readiness to respond to new security challenges.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that around 4:00 p.m. local time (09:00 Kyiv time), North Korea launched several cruise missiles toward the west coast.
KCNA also shared a statement from the DPRK’s foreign ministry that directly blamed the United States and South Korea for rising tensions in the region. The statement said that the two countries’ military alliance, as well as their joint exercises, create a “threatening environment” to which North Korea is forced to respond.
This launch was a continuation of a series of weapons demonstrations by the DPRK. On October 31, 2024, the country launched an intercontinental ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, which reached a record height of more than 7,000 kilometers and stayed in the air for 86 minutes. The Japanese government then declared an unprecedented threat to the region.
It will be recalled that on January 6, 2025, the DPRK conducted another launch, this time of a ballistic missile that traveled more than 1,100 kilometers to the east before falling into the sea. According to Ukrainian intelligence, North Korea is also cooperating with Russia, which has already used about 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles in the war against Ukraine.
Pyongyang continues to build up its defense capabilities, using missile tests as a way to pressure the international community. These actions contribute to increasing tensions in East Asia and threaten stability in the region.
