North Korea fired several strategic cruise missiles on Friday. The launches took place in the Yellow Sea as part of a test of North Korea’s nuclear deterrent, Korean media reported.
Kim Jong Un, the republic’s leader, watched the launches and was satisfied with the results of the drills. He commented:
“Continuing to test the reliability and performance of nuclear deterrent components and demonstrating its power is in itself a responsible exercise to deter war.”
North Korean state media also published photos showing the missile flying at low altitude and accurately hitting its intended target. According to South Korean experts, these are Hwasal-1 strategic cruise missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Seoul said it was aware of the impending launches and observed them, but did not publicly disclose them. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Republic of Korea’s Armed Forces said it had detected the DPRK’s preparations for the launches in advance and monitored them in co-operation with its US counterparts.
“We have recorded the launch of several cruise missiles in the western direction and continue to conduct detailed analyses of their characteristics,” the South Korean military said in a statement.
The DPRK launched its first missile in 2025 on January 6 during a visit to Seoul by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The missile flew about 1,100 kilometres and fell into the Sea of Japan. On January 14, North Korea launched an “unidentified projectile” towards the same sea. On January 27, Pyongyang conducted a test of an underwater-based cruise missile.
