Joint Chiefs: "Details Under Analysis by South Korean and U.S. Intelligence"
Still No Response to Trump's Overtures
As U.S. President Donald Trump signals a willingness for a North Korea-U.S. summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, North Korea has remained silent on the matter and instead conducted a ship-to-ground cruise missile test launch in the West Sea.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 29th, North Korea’s Missile General Bureau conducted a test launch of a ship-to-ground strategic cruise missile in the West Sea on the previous day. The test was observed by Park Jeongcheon, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, Kim Jeongsik, First Deputy Director of the Party’s Munitions Industry Department, and Jang Changha, Director of the Missile General Bureau. Instead of responding to President Trump’s repeated overtures, North Korea chose to conduct a missile test launch.
The agency reported, “The cruise missiles, which have been modified for ship-based launches, were launched vertically and flew along a designated trajectory over the West Sea for more than 7,800 seconds, successfully striking their target.” No additional details, such as the flight range of the strategic cruise missile, were disclosed.
Vice Chairman Park stated, “Important achievements are being made in the practical application of our nuclear capabilities, in line with the Party Central Committee’s strategic intent to continuously expand the operational scope of our war deterrent measures,” adding, “Continuously testing the reliability and credibility of various strategic offensive means and demonstrating their capabilities to adversaries is itself an extension of exercising war deterrence and represents a more responsible exercise of such power.”
He went on to say, “The head of state has already defined the most complete form of war deterrence and defense capability as the deterrent that is guaranteed by powerful offensive power,” and added, “We must constantly renew our combat capabilities, and in particular, it is our responsible mission and duty to continuously sharpen our nuclear combat readiness.” The agency further reported that Vice Chairman Park reviewed the operational training and weapon system instruction status of the 5,000-ton class new destroyer Choi Hyun and Kang Gun-ho marines, and assigned relevant tasks to further enhance the marines’ practical military skills.
Regarding the North Korean report, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, “We detected signs of a North Korean missile launch in advance and were prepared,” adding, “At around 3 p.m. on the previous day, we detected a cruise missile in the northern waters of the West Sea, and the specifics are currently being analyzed in detail by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.” Typically, the South Korean military notifies the media when North Korea launches a ballistic missile, but does not issue separate announcements for cruise missile launches.
This test launch drew attention as it took place just three days before the opening of the APEC Summit in Gyeongju. In particular, it is notable that North Korea test-launched a missile on the day before President Trump’s visit to South Korea, without responding to his repeated “love calls” for a summit. Some observers suggest that North Korea may be calibrating its response to President Trump, noting that Kim Jong Un did not attend the test launch and that the news was not reported by domestic outlets such as Rodong Sinmun or Korean Central Broadcasting Station.
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