North Korea says it fired cruise missiles from submarine

North Korea said it test-fired two types of cruise missile from a submarine on Wednesday, October 14, after weeks of friction with South Korea over a landmine explosion along their border.

The official Korean Central News Agency said the missiles were fired into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, without “any adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries”.

KCNA said the test was intended to examine the readiness of underwater combat systems and served as a navy training exercise.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been further strained since a September 21 landmine blast in the Seoul-controlled area of the Demilitarised Zone injured three South Korean soldiers. Both countries have tested upgraded missile technology since then.

KCNA released photos showing one missile rising vertically from the sea and another projectile appearing to emerge from the water at a 45-degree angle. Other images showed a missile flying horizontally over the sea and a submarine travelling on the surface.

Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP that the ability to launch missiles from submarines at two different angles carries “tactical significance”, because vertical and angled launches can serve different purposes.

North Korea has carried out several submarine missile launches in recent years, although its sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear. Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war because the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty.