North Korea says it tested two types of submarine-launched cruise missiles

North Korea said it tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in waters off its east coast on October 14, a reported step in its naval weapons program whose launch platform remains unclear. The test account came from North Korean state media, according to France 24 and Reuters.

KCNA said the exercise examined the readiness of underwater combat systems and served as Navy training, France 24 reported. Reuters reported that KCNA described the tests as a check of naval mission capabilities and the reliability of what it called war deterrents. Senior military officers watched the tests, according to KCNA’s account cited by Reuters.

What the launch account leaves unclear

The North Korean account did not specify whether the missiles were fired from an actual submarine or an underwater test platform, DW reported. Reuters said KCNA supplied no further details about the missiles or launch. Its assertion that the test had no adverse effect on neighboring countries’ security was also part of KCNA’s account; the retrieved reports did not independently verify that claim or the missiles’ performance.

France 24 reported that KCNA released images showing missiles emerging from the sea and a submarine traveling on the surface. Those state-media images accompany the test claim, but the available reporting does not establish that the pictured submarine launched the missiles.

North Korea’s sea-based missile program

North Korea has carried out submarine-related missile launches in recent years, while the extent of its sea-based launch capability remains unclear, France 24 reported. Reuters said the country has tested cruise and ballistic missiles from several platforms, including an ageing submarine, but is not believed to have a modern missile submarine in full operation. That distinction matters when assessing a weapon described as submarine-launched: the October 14 report establishes North Korea’s claim of a test, not an operational deployment.

The claimed cruise-missile test followed multiple North Korean ballistic-missile tests in October, France 24 reported, including one on the preceding Monday. France 24 also placed the new account amid tensions after a September 21 landmine explosion in the Demilitarised Zone injured three South Korean soldiers. The latest report concerns cruise missiles, a separate weapons category from those earlier ballistic tests.