North Korea Tests Strategic Cruise Missiles Amid Nuclear Submarine Progress

North Korea said Monday it fired two long-range strategic cruise missiles to test the country’s nuclear deterrence, days after it showed apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the missile launches occurred from the country’s west coast on Sunday in the presence of leader Kim Jong Un.

KCNA released a series of photos, showing missiles blasting off, and then apparently hitting buildings. The images have not been verified. They did not show Kim Jong Un. Often, when North Korea tests missiles, if the state media report Kim watched the test, they do show him.

KCNA also reported the flight duration of the missiles, but not the distance they flew. It said Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over the launches and noted that testing the reliability of North Korea's nuclear deterrence and demonstrating its might are “just a responsible exercise of the right to self-defense and war deterrence” in the face of external security threats.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was aware of several cruise missile launches made from North Korea’s capital region on Sunday morning. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any potential North Korean provocations through its alliance with the United States.

U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from launches involving its huge stockpile of ballistic missiles. Its cruise missile tests aren’t banned, but they still pose a threat to the U.S. and South Korea because they are highly maneuverable and fly at low altitudes to avoid radar detection. Analysts say North Korea would aim to use cruise missiles to strike U.S. warships and aircraft carriers in the event of conflict.

Sunday's launches are the latest weapons display by North Korea. Last week, North Korea test-launched new anti-air missiles off its east coast and displayed photos showing a largely completed hull of a developmental nuclear-powered submarine. North Korea implied it would arm the submarine with nuclear missiles.

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