Military Detected and Tracked in Advance
Specifications Under Analysis
On the morning of the 26th, North Korea conducted a strategic cruise missile launch exercise in the West Sea under the observation of Chairman Kim Jong-un, the State Affairs Commission Chairman, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 28th. Our military detected and tracked the launch on the day it occurred, and the detailed specifications are currently being precisely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.
According to the report, the strategic cruise missiles launched by the relevant unit of the North Korean Western District Missile Combined Unit flew along an elliptical trajectory of 1,587 km for 7,961 seconds and 7,973 seconds, hitting their targets accurately. Chairman Kim expressed satisfaction with the training results and stated, “The most complete deterrence and defense capability is guaranteed by powerful offensive strength,” emphasizing, “Regarding nuclear forces, maintaining a thorough wartime readiness and being fully prepared for use to serve as a reliable nuclear shield to permanently protect the nation’s sovereignty and security is the responsible mission and duty entrusted to the Republic’s nuclear forces.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff explained regarding the North Korean report, “The military detected signs of North Korea’s cruise missile launch in advance on the 26th and prepared accordingly. Around 8 a.m., North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles, which were tracked and monitored,” adding, “The detailed specifications are currently being precisely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.”
Furthermore, the Joint Chiefs stated, “In the current security situation, our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities under the firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture to prevent any miscalculation by North Korea, maintaining the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation.”
Meanwhile, this provocation marks the fourth such incident this year, occurring about a month after the test launch of a sea-to-ground strategic cruise guided weapon on the 25th of last month. Experts believe that the missiles launched this time are likely upgraded versions of existing cruise missiles such as the Bulhwachal-3-31. Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, evaluated, “North Korea has previously launched these as test missiles, but this time it was a training exercise and even disclosed the name of the deployed unit,” adding, “The flight distance and duration have also significantly increased.”
Given that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, led by the second Trump administration, recently clarified their stance on North Korean denuclearization, experts analyze that North Korea’s intent appears to be to showcase its nuclear operational capabilities and delivery systems in response. Researcher Hong noted, “Unlike the launch on the 25th of last month, this time the term ‘nuclear’ was explicitly used, raising the level of seriousness,” and added, “The time gap between the training and the announcement seems to be a kind of psychological warfare aimed at testing the detection capabilities of South Korea and the U.S.”
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