North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, state media said on Monday. The weekend tests saw missiles travelling up to 1,500km (930 miles), the official KCNA news agency said.
It suggests North Korea is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis. It also underscores how it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations with the United States. The US military said the latest tests posed threats to the international community, and neighbouring Japan said it had “significant concerns”. The Korean Central News Agency said Monday the cruise missiles, which had been under development for two years, demonstrated an ability to hit targets 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away during flight tests on Saturday and Sunday. A picture in the North Korean Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile being fired from a launch vehicle, while another could be seen in horizontal flight. The North hailed its new missiles as a “strategic weapon of great significance” that meets leader Kim Jong Un’s call to strengthen the country’s military might, implying that they were being developed with an intent to arm them with nuclear warheads. It is the country’s first long-range cruise missile that could possibly carry a nuclear warhead, according to North Korea analyst Ankit Panda. UN Security Council sanctions forbid North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, but not cruise missiles such as these.
