North Korea Tests New Long-Range Cruise Missile... Kim Jong-un Does Not Attend (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea successfully hit a target 1,500 km away by test-firing a new long-range cruise missile. The test launch was observed by military officials, but Kim Jong-un, the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, did not attend.

Korean Central News Agency reported on the 13th, "The National Defense Science Institute successfully conducted test launches of the newly developed long-range cruise missile on September 11 and 12."

The launched missiles flew for 7,580 seconds along a flight trajectory over North Korean territory and territorial waters, hitting a target at the 1,500 km mark. The agency explained, "Through the test launch, all design requirements were met, including the propulsion power of the newly developed turbofan engine, the missile's flight controllability, and the terminal guidance accuracy achieved by the combined guidance method," adding, "Overall, the effectiveness and practicality of the weapon system's operation were excellently confirmed."

The agency further stated that this weapons development is "another effective deterrent to strongly suppress the hostile forces' military provocations against the Republic."

Attending the test launch were Party Secretary Pak Jong-chon, Deputy Director of the Party Military Industry Department Kim Jong-sik, and Chairman of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science Institute Jeon Il-ho.