North Korea test-fires submarine-launched cruise missiles in East Sea

Pyongyang’s Missile Administration fired low-flying cruise missiles from a submarine believed to be the country’s tactical nuclear attack boat.

North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on Oct. 14, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Oct. 15.
YONHAP

North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles (SLCM) in the East Sea on Wednesday, showcasing its ability to launch a nuclear retaliatory strike while testing South Korean and U.S. detection capabilities ahead of potential negotiations with Washington.

Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday that its Missile Administration had test-fired two types of strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on Wednesday from what is believed to be the North’s first submarine capable of launching missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

“The test-fire aimed to examine the current mobilized posture of the underwater combat systems and contributed to getting the Navy skilled in performing its strategic missions and showcasing high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK,” the KCNA reported Thursday, referring to the country by the initialism for its official name.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday that it closely tracked the cruise missiles throughout their flight.

“We continuously tracked and monitored the North Korean cruise missiles launched yesterday through various means, from before launch through the cruise phase to the end of their flights,” the JCS said.

Given that cruise missiles typically fly at low altitudes of around 100 meters (328 feet), the military appears to have detected the launches in advance using surveillance assets other than ballistic missile radar systems.

The KCNA did not disclose the missiles’ flight times or travel distances but released photographs of a submarine and missiles rising into the air with flames trailing behind them. Based on the images, experts believe the launches were conducted from the 3,000-ton Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine.

If the missiles were launched from a submarine, it marks the first time North Korea has publicly conducted missile test launches from the Hero Kim Kun Ok since unveiling the vessel in September 2023, when it claimed that the boat was its first tactical nuclear attack submarine.

Military officials and experts believe North Korea launched different types of SLCMs from the submarine’s horizontal and vertical launch tubes.

“North Korea appears to be conducting combat system tests as part of efforts to make its submarine operational,” said Shin Jong-woo, the secretary general of the Korea Defense Security Forum. “It will likely follow up with tests of submarine-launched ballistic missiles.”

Some analysts believe the simultaneous tests of two types of SLCMs were intended to demonstrate how difficult such missiles would be to detect and intercept.

“If two types of SLCMs with different ranges, speeds and approach directions are launched from a submarine at staggered intervals, air defense systems would have to engage targets arriving from different directions at different times, making interception harder,” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Other analysts raised the possibility that North Korea launched a long-range SLCM and a shorter-range variant, believed to be the Hwasal-2 and Pulhwasal-3-31, respectively.

The Pulhwasal-3-31, which has a reported range of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), is believed to be capable of carrying the Hwasan-31, a warhead North Korea claims is a tactical nuclear weapon. Its range would put the entire Korean Peninsula and U.S. military bases in Japan within striking distance.

Kim Jong-sik, the first vice department director of the Workers’ Party Central Committee, and Jang Chang-ha, general director of Pyongyang’s Missile Administration, attended the launches.

The presence of mainly working-level officials rather than top leadership could be intended to signal that North Korea is moving from weapons development to operational deployment and routine military exercises.

Separately, the JCS announced Thursday that South Korea will conduct its annual Hoguk military exercise from Monday to Oct. 30.

Hoguk is a joint field training exercise involving the Army, Navy and Air Force, conducted under the leadership of the JCS in the second half of each year.

“We will strengthen joint operational capabilities and combat readiness by integrating joint forces across land, sea and air domains,” the JCS said.

Two of the seven combined field training exercises postponed following the scaling back of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in August will also take place alongside Hoguk. The remaining five are scheduled to be held before the end of the year.

BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]