Seoul.- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a new missile test from the
destroyer Choe Hyon, just a month after a similar test in March and after several tests conducted last week, amid inter-Korean tensions.
“Two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles were launched in a test from the destroyer Choe Hyon,” the state-run KCNA agency said on Tuesday, indicating that the launches took place last Sunday.
Strategic cruise missiles flew along the established flight orbits over the Yellow Sea and hit the targets with “ultra-precise” impact accuracy, the agency said.
Kim stokes tensions with South Korea
KCNA again described the projectiles as “strategic,” an indication that they could be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The report also indicates that Kim reiterated that strengthening nuclear deterrence “steadily and without limit” is the central priority of national defense.
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The report does not specify the exact launch point, nor do the images released by KCNA reveal it.
In March, Kim oversaw a cruise missile test from Cho Hyon amid joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington.
Cluster Warhead
The latest test also comes after Pyongyang acknowledged last week that it conducted several missile tests, including one with a ballistic missile equipped with a cluster warhead.
North Korea launched the 5,000-ton destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Kon last year. The regime has reported that two more are under construction, while Kim has requested that one of them be launched before the anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which is celebrated in October.
The tests of recent days come after Pyongyang downplayed Seoul’s recent optimism over Kim’s praise for Lee Jae-myung, following his expressions of regret for South Korean civilian drone incursions into North Korea.
