North Korea said the launch had “no adverse impact on the security” of neighboring countries.
Seoul:
North Korea said on Wednesday it successfully test-fired a strategic cruise missile, part of a series of recent launches of weapons that analysts warn could be used in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea’s official news agency said the missile, called the Hwasal-2, was launched into the West Sea on Tuesday.
Seoul’s military first noticed the launch, saying it detected several cruise missiles.
KCNA said the exercise was aimed at testing the Army’s “quick counterattack posture” and improving its “strategic strike capabilities.”
It added that the launch had “no adverse impact on the security” of neighboring countries.
This month, Pyongyang conducted tests of a so-called “underwater nuclear weapons system,” solid-fuel hypersonic ballistic missiles and a new generation of strategic cruise missiles.
North Korea has previously tested the “Wasal-2” strategic cruise missile.
Unlike ballistic missiles, current U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang do not ban the testing of cruise missiles.
Cruise missiles tend to be jet-propelled and fly at lower altitudes than more advanced ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept.
Despite massive United Nations sanctions, Seoul and Washington say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been shipping weapons to Russia, possibly in exchange for Moscow’s technical assistance for Pyongyang’s emerging spy satellite program.
The test also came amid a sharp deterioration in relations between North and South Korea, with Kim Jong Un declaring Seoul his main enemy.
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