Oct 13,2022:North Korea has test-fired a pair of long-range strategic cruise missiles, with leader Kim Jong Un lauding another successful display of the country’s tactical nuclear strike capability.
The test, which took place on Wednesday, aimed at “enhancing the combat efficiency and might” of cruise missiles deployed to the Korean People’s Army “for the operation of tactical nukes”, state media KCNA reported on Thursday morning.
It was the latest in a series of weapons launches that have increased tension on the divided Korean Peninsula and heightened fears Pyongyang might be about to conduct its first nuclear test in five years.
The cruise missiles travelled 2,000km (1,240 miles) over the sea, according to KCNA, which said the projectiles hit their intended, but unspecified, targets.
Stressing that the test was another clear warning to “enemies”, Kim said the country “should continue to expand the operational sphere of the nuclear strategic armed forces to resolutely deter any crucial military crisis and war crisis at any time and completely take the initiative in it”, according to KCNA.
A US Department of State spokesperson declined to comment on the launches, saying Washington remained focused on coordinating with allies and partners to address threats posed by North Korea.
On Monday, North Korean state media reported that Kim had supervised two weeks of guided nuclear tactical exercises, including the test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that was launched over Japan as a protest against recent joint naval drills by South Korea and the United States that involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan.
