North Korea Tests Long-Range Strategic Cruise Missiles “`

The reported test, covering a range of 1,500km, was the first since President Trump’s inauguration.

North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency announced the successful launch of multiple sea-based, long-range strategic cruise missiles on Sunday. This launch follows ongoing regional tensions and occurred days after President Trump’s swearing-in.

According to KCNA, Saturday’s launch involved several projectiles that struck targets 1,500km away. Observed by Kim Jong-un and other top officials, the agency stated the test aimed to enhance the effectiveness of strategic deterrence against potential adversaries.

The report claimed the launch posed no threat to neighboring countries.

South Korea’s military confirmed the launches, reporting multiple cruise missiles fired from inland toward the Yellow Sea, as per Yonhap News. South Korean and US intelligence officials are currently analyzing the test.

This photo, released by the North Korean government, shows a test of sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided weapons at an undisclosed North Korean location on Saturday, January 25, 2025.


©  Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service via AP

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the US and South Korea of escalating tensions through joint military drills, further criticizing Washington’s “unceasing expansion of the military alliance system.”

The ministry asserted that Pyongyang must respond to the US with the strongest possible countermeasures unless its security concerns and sovereignty are addressed.

This marks North Korea’s first missile test since President Trump’s January 20th inauguration. President Trump had previously committed to reaching out to Kim Jong-un. During his first term, he met with the North Korean leader multiple times, becoming the first US president to visit North Korea in 2019. However, these efforts failed to yield concrete denuclearization agreements.

North Korea has conducted numerous missile tests in recent months, frequently in response to US-South Korea drills, which Pyongyang views as invasion rehearsals. Washington and Seoul maintain these exercises are defensive and designed to bolster regional security.