North Korea has test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday.
The missiles were launched on Wednesday without adversely affecting the security of neighbouring countries, according to the agency.
The test comes amid weeks of rising tensions following a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea, reports AFP.
Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the blast on 21 September in the Seoul-controlled section of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), prompting both countries to test upgraded missile technology in the aftermath.
KCNA said the latest tests were part of a Navy training exercise aimed at assessing the current operational readiness of North Korea’s underwater combat systems. The agency referred to the country by the abbreviation of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
State media reported that the tests demonstrated the high reliability, trustworthiness and capability of the country’s military deterrents.
Photographs released by KCNA showed one missile launching vertically from the sea, leaving a thick plume of smoke, while another appeared to emerge from the water at a 45-degree angle. Other images showed a missile flying horizontally over the water and a submarine travelling on the sea surface.
Although North Korea has conducted several submarine-based missile launches in recent years, the extent of its sea-based launch capabilities remains unclear.
Cruise missiles are generally jet-propelled and fly at lower altitudes than more sophisticated ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept.
A proven submarine-launched ballistic missile capability would significantly enhance North Korea’s arsenal, allowing it to deploy weapons far beyond the Korean peninsula and establish a second-strike capability in the event of an attack.
The latest weapons test is part of a broader surge in military activity, with North Korea conducting multiple ballistic missile tests in October, the most recent on Monday.
The two Koreas have engaged in a series of tit-for-tat missile tests this month, with both sides testing hypersonic weapons.
South Korea test-fired its first domestically developed hypersonic missile last week, days after Pyongyang reported launching an artificial intelligence-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile.
Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war, as the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.
