North Korea on Sunday test-fired two strategic long-range cruise missiles over the Yellow Sea in a show of “combat readiness,” state media reported.
The drill, overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, lasted more than two hours, with both missiles successfully hitting their targets, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The exercise was described as a review of the counter-offensive response and combat capability of North Korea’s long-range missile units. Kim pledged to continue the “unlimited and sustained development” of the country’s nuclear forces.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the missiles were launched from the Sunan area near the capital, Pyongyang, at 8:00 a.m. local time.
Diaspora Digital Media gathered that the missiles, which have a range of approximately 2,000 kilometres, could strike the entire Korean peninsula as well as U.S. military bases in Japan.
The test comes amid rising regional tensions, following South Korea’s plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine and the recent docking of the USS Greenville, a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine, in South Korea’s Busan port moves Pyongyang condemned as violations of its security and maritime sovereignty.
Experts say the drill signals North Korea’s intent to bolster its missile and nuclear capabilities in response to perceived threats from the United States and South Korea.