PYONGYANG — North Korea confirmed Thursday that it successfully conducted a test-fire of new submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) the previous day, marking another provocative step in the country’s rapidly expanding naval weapons program.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of the strategic cruise missiles, identified as “Pulhwasal-3-31,” on Wednesday. According to the report, the missiles flew over the East Sea for over two hours before hitting their designated target islands.
The launch follows a series of recent North Korean weapons demonstrations that have heightened tensions across the Korean Peninsula. While the North has historically focused on developing ballistic missiles—which are prohibited under United Nations Security Council resolutions—the pursuit of sophisticated cruise missile technology presents a different, yet equally grave, challenge to regional security. Cruise missiles fly at lower altitudes and are more maneuverable than ballistic missiles, making them significantly harder for radar systems and missile defense batteries to track and intercept.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) acknowledged detecting several cruise missiles launched from waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, a known hub for the North’s submarine-building activities. The South Korean military stated it is conducting a detailed analysis of the launch in close coordination with United States intelligence.
“Our military is maintaining a high-readiness posture while monitoring signs of further provocations,” the JCS said in a brief statement.
Defense experts suggest that the successful integration of cruise missiles into North Korea’s submarine fleet would significantly complicate the defensive strategy of the U.S. and its allies. If Pyongyang can reliably launch these weapons from submerged vessels, it would theoretically grant the North a “second-strike capability”—the ability to retaliate even if its land-based launch sites are destroyed. This development serves as a direct rebuttal to international efforts to denuclearize the regime and underscores Kim Jong Un’s stated goal of modernizing his nation’s nuclear and conventional naval forces.
The timing of the test is viewed by analysts as a calculated move to keep pressure on Washington and Seoul ahead of planned large-scale military drills. It also aligns with Kim’s recent rhetoric, in which he officially redefined inter-Korean relations, labeling the South as his country’s “principal enemy” and explicitly abandoning the long-standing goal of peaceful reunification.
As international condemnation begins to mount, the United States and its regional partners are expected to hold urgent discussions regarding potential countermeasures. For now, the successful flight of the “Pulhwasal-3-31” serves as a stark reminder that despite severe economic sanctions, North Korea’s technical prowess in weapons delivery systems continues to move forward at an alarming pace.
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