North Korea said Monday it fired long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea to test the country’s nuclear deterrence, days after it showed apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.
Sunday’s launches were the latest weapons display by North Korea ahead of its planned ruling Workers’ Party congress early next year. Keen outside attention on the congress, the first of its kind in five years, will be on whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will establish new priorities in relations with the U.S. and respond to Washington’s calls to resume long-dormant talks.
The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over Sunday’s launches, which occurred off the country’s west coast. It said Kim noted that testing the reliability of North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and demonstrating its might are “just a responsible exercise of the right to self-defense and war deterrence” in the face of external security threats.
Last week, North Korea test-launched new anti-air missiles off its east coast and displayed photos showing a largely completed hull of a developmental nuclear-powered submarine. North Korea implied it would arm the submarine with nuclear missiles.
