North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the test-firing of advanced long-range surface-to-air missiles this week, state media reported on Thursday. The move is part of a significant military push that also includes the development of a new nuclear-powered submarine, directly responding to perceived threats from the United States and South Korea.
Missile Test and Submarine Project Details
According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missile test took place on Wednesday at a launch site near the country's east coast. The long-range surface-to-air missiles successfully destroyed their aerial targets from a distance of approximately 200 kilometres. The test was explicitly aimed at evaluating the strategic technology required for developing a new type of high-altitude missile system.
In a separate development, Kim Jong Un also inspected the construction progress of a major naval project: an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine. This vessel is designed to be capable of launching surface-to-air missiles. KCNA did not disclose the exact location or the specific date of this visit. The submarine initiative is a core component of the ruling Workers' Party's plan to modernise the North Korean Navy, listed as one of five key defence enhancement policies.
Kim's Stern Warning to Rivals
Leader Kim Jong Un framed these developments as essential and inevitable responses to a volatile global security environment. He was quoted stating that "the present world is by no means peaceful," justifying the all-out push for nuclear capabilities and naval modernisation.
He issued a direct critique of South Korea's plans, developed in agreement with Washington, to acquire its own nuclear-powered submarine. Kim asserted that such a move would "further inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula" and represents a direct national security threat that compels North Korea to take counter-action.
Regional Reactions and Escalating Tensions
The North Korean statement comes amidst a series of recent military activities in the region that have drawn Pyongyang's ire. In a separate critique, state media lambasted the recent entry of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Greeneville into the South Korean port of Busan. The submarine arrived on Tuesday for crew shore leave and supplies, an act North Korea labelled "an act of escalating military tensions" both on the peninsula and in the wider region.
Further broadening its criticism, North Korea also accused Japan earlier this week of showing intentions to possess nuclear weapons, a move it claims is encouraged by South Korea's submarine development ambitions. This series of statements and military demonstrations highlights the increasingly tense security dynamics in Northeast Asia, with Pyongyang positioning its advanced weapons programs as necessary deterrents against the coordinated strategies of the US, South Korea, and Japan.
