North Korea Claims Successful Test-Firing of Sea-to-Surface Cruise Missiles Amid Trump Visit to South Korea

 

By Emmaculate Cheruto 

North Korea said its recent test-firing of sea-to-surface cruise missiles was successful, marking another display of its growing military capabilities as former U.S. President Donald Trump visits South Korea.

According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missiles launched on Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters. The report said the new weapon would help expand the operational reach of the country’s nuclear-armed forces.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military detected signs of the North’s launch preparations, adding that the cruise missiles were fired into the northwestern waters around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Joint Chiefs said that South Korea and the United States are analyzing the weapons and maintaining a combined defense posture capable of mounting a “dominant response” to any North Korean provocation.

The KCNA report came just hours before an expected summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the city of Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.

Speaking with reporters, Trump downplayed the launches. “He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?” he said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump reiterated his willingness to meet with Kim, whom he met three times in 2018 and 2019 before their diplomacy broke down over disagreements regarding U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

“We had a really good understanding of each other,” Trump said.

KCNA said the missile tests were observed by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who also inspected naval training aboard North Korea’s newly developed destroyers Chor Hyon and Kang Kon. Kim reportedly described the vessels as key assets in his efforts to strengthen the North Korean navy.

The latest launches followed short-range ballistic missile tests last week, which Pyongyang claimed involved a new hypersonic system designed to bolster its nuclear deterrent.