North Korea launches strategic cruise missiles in show of nuclear deterrence
The missiles were launched from the western area of the country on Wednesday morning, Korean Central News Agency reported, and "precisely hit the targets" after flying for around 130 minutes along a 986-mile oval trajectory.
"The purpose of the launching drill was to let the enemies, who are fostering and escalating the confrontation environment ... know the [Korean People's Army]'s counterattack capability in any space and the readiness of its various nuke operation means," the KCNA report said.
Pyongyang uses the term "strategic" to indicate that missiles are nuclear-capable.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill and expressed satisfaction, the report said.
"Continuously testing the reliability and operability of the components of nuclear deterrent of the DPRK and demonstrating their power is itself a responsible exercise of its war deterrent," Kim said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that the military had detected preparations for the launch on Wednesday and tracked several missiles fired at around 8:00 a.m.
"The detailed specifications are being precisely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities," the JCS said in a text message to reporters. "Our military is closely monitoring various North Korean trends under a firm South Korea-U.S. defense posture."
The launch was North Korea's fourth of the year and second since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Pyongyang tested a cruise missile system on Jan. 25, just days after Trump returned to office for a second time.
North Korea has maintained a belligerent tone toward the United States, despite speculation that Trump may look to revive nuclear negotiations with Kim. During Trump's first term, the two leaders held a pair of high-profile summits and met briefly a third time at the DMZ.
The diplomatic outreach failed to result in a nuclear deal, however, and Pyongyang has accelerated the development of its weapons programs in the intervening years.
Last week, North Korea's Foreign Ministry rejected Washington's "absurd and outdated" call for denuclearization, saying that the country would stick to Kim Jong Un's goal of building up its nuclear forces.
Despite facing punishing international sanctions, the North has been able to fund its weapons programs through increasingly sophisticated hacking and cybercrime activities. On Thursday, the FBI confirmed that Pyongyang-backed hacker group Lazarus was behind the theft of $1.5 billion in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit.
North Korea is also using growing military ties with Russia to obtain hard currency and technical help with its weapons programs. Pyongyang has supplied munitions and some 12,000 troops to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, according to the United States.
Seoul's spy agency said Thursday that the North recently deployed additional soldiers to Russia, with some headed to the frontlines in Kursk, where they have suffered heavy casualties.
Wednesday's cruise missile launch comes ahead of the annual U.S.-South Korea Freedom Shield springtime joint military exercise, scheduled to begin in March. Pyongyang regularly condemns the allies' joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion.
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