North Korea did “that.” first test fire of the new Pulhwasal-3-31 strategic cruise missile under development”according to the state news agency KCNA.
In a brief statement that did not provide further details about the projectile, the aforementioned media said that “the test is a process of constant updating of the weapon system and a regular and mandatory activity” for national defense activities, Efe reports.
The North Korean regime also stated that the test “had no impact on the security of neighboring countries and has nothing to do with the regional situation,” citing the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean military reported on Wednesday the discovery of the launch of several cruise missiles by Pyongyang towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 a.m. local time (10:00 p.m. GMT on Tuesday).
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) noted that the real-time recorded flight distance of the projectiles was “shorter” than previous launches, but added “Further analysis is required to determine the full circumstances surrounding the test.”in statements from a spokesperson collected by Yonhap Agency.
The first in five months
The one from the day before was the one first test of cruise missiles by the North Korean regime since September 2023when it tested two long-range strategic projectiles with simulated nuclear warheads in the same area, days after the announced test of a nuclear-capable underwater drone.
The test also came ten days after North Korea reportedly conducted a test launch of a solid-fuel medium-range hypersonic missile into the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in Korea). First North Korean weapons test of this year 2024.
The Korean peninsula is experiencing a moment of high tension after the 2018 inter-Korean agreement to reduce military presence and exercises in border areas was canceled following Pyongyang's live-fire maneuvers near the western maritime border earlier this month.
The South Korean military has already announced that it will resume artillery fire and border exercises in response.
At a key parliamentary session last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for a change to the country's constitution to define South Korea as the North's “main enemy” and announced that the regime would abandon its decades-long policy of reconciliation and unification with North Korea the neighboring country.
US protest
In response, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel has called on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions following another launch of strategic cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea. “We once again call on North Korea to refrain from further provocative and destabilizing actions and to return to diplomacy. It is important to remember that the United States did this.” It is incredibly clear that he has no hostile intentions toward North Korea and remains open to diplomacy without preconditions,” Patel said during a press conference.
In addition, he has assured that the United States is working and consulting with South Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies, to find the best way to include Pyongyang in a peace process on the Korean Peninsula and dissuade them from their “behavior.” aggressive and destabilizing,” reports Europa Press.