[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Did North Korea Fire a Tomahawk Equivalent?

North Korea Uses the Term 'Strategy,' Raising Possibility of Nuclear Warhead Deployment

North Korea is reported to have launched several cruise missiles in the Hamhung area of South Hamgyong Province on the 22nd.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Around 10:15 a.m., multiple cruise missile launches were detected over the East Sea."

The military is analyzing the exact type and flight range of the missiles, with the possibility raised that they are long-range strategic cruise missiles, often referred to as the "North Korean version of the Tomahawk." This cruise missile, an improved version of the KN-27, is characterized by low-altitude flight, making detection and tracking difficult. North Korea conducted a test launch of a new missile called the "long-range strategic cruise missile" on January 25 last year. This missile is presumed to be a North Korean Tomahawk-type cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, as indicated by the designation "strategic."

This missile launch comes three days after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) on the 19th. At that time, North Korea claimed to have successfully conducted a tactical nuclear explosion simulation test at an altitude of 800 meters over the East Sea with an SRBM launched at a range of 800 km. Regarding cruise missiles, North Korea claimed to have fired two from a submarine off the coast of Sinpo on the 12th and another from the Kimchaek area on the 23rd of last month, but the military stated it is verifying the authenticity of these claims, suggesting they may be false.

North Korea appears to be escalating provocations in response to the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint exercise "Freedom Shield" (FS), which began on the 13th. FS broadly includes field training exercises (FTX) commonly referred to as "Warrior Shield" (WS), reviving theater-level FTXs that had been suspended during the Moon Jae-in administration.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Under a firm combined defense posture, we will successfully complete the planned joint exercises and continue to conduct the ongoing WS combined field training exercises with high intensity."