North Korea tests more cruise missiles as leader Kim Jong Un calls for war readiness

Seoul, February 2

South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into waters off its western coast on Friday, adding to a provocative run of weapons testing in the face of deepening tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The launches came hours after state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected the construction of new warships at a western shipyard, calling such projects crucial to the country’s war preparations.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the US and South Korean militaries were analysing the launches, which were the North’s fourth round of cruise missile tests in 2024. There was no immediate information on the exact number of missiles fired or how far they flew.

Kim’s visit to the shipyard in Nampho followed a series of weapons demonstrations in January that furthered increased tensions with rivals, including tests of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines.

Kim in recent months has been emphasising his goal of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation to cope with Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programme.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency did not specify when Kim visited Nampho. It paraphrased Kim as saying that the strengthening of his naval force “presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the country and stepping up the war preparations”.