North Korea said it tested its new strategic cruise missile on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, confirming what the South Korean military said the day before.
The missile dubbed “Pulhwasal-3-31” is currently under development and the test firing had no impact on the security of neighboring countries, state media said, adding that it had “nothing” to do with the regional situation.
The test was also part of the process of upgrading the country's weapons system, the report said, citing the Missile Administration.
South Korea said it believed the firing was to test upgrades to existing missile capabilities.
On Wednesday, the South Korean military said the North fired several cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast at around 7 a.m. local time, while Seoul Defense Minister Shin Won- sik, condemned the launches as a serious threat to his country.
“Strategic” typically refers to nuclear-capable weapons.
North Korea carried out its first test of a cruise missile with possible nuclear strike capabilities in September 2021.
On Thursday, South Korea said it was beginning mass production of medium-altitude reconnaissance drones with the aim of deploying them in 2027 to improve surveillance capabilities and contribute to defense exports.
North Korea's cruise missiles generally generate less interest than ballistic missiles because they are not explicitly prohibited by any United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution.
But analysts said intermediate-range land-attack cruise missiles are no less of a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.
Cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles that can be armed with conventional or nuclear bombs are considered particularly destabilizing in the event of conflict, as it may not be clear what type of warhead they carry.
Source: CNN Brasil
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