North Korea said it conducted a long-range strategic cruise missile launch drill over the West Sea on Sunday as it continues to showcase its weapons capabilities amid regional tensions.
Leader Kim Jong Un observed the drill, which was carried out to test the counterattack readiness and combat capabilities of long-range missile units, train missile operators in maneuvering and fire-mission procedures, and to verify the reliability of the strategic weapons system, Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.
The strategic cruise missiles flew along preset trajectories over waters off the country’s west coast for 10,199 seconds and 10,203 seconds — around 2 hours and 50 minutes each — before striking their targets, the state news agency said.
The results of the exercise provided a practical verification and a clear demonstration of the reliability and combat power of North Korea’s strategic counterattack capabilities, Kim said, expressing “great satisfaction” with the outcome, according to the report.
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He added that regularly testing the reliability and rapid response readiness of components of the country’s nuclear deterrent, and continuing to demonstrate their power, amounted to a responsible exercise of self-defense and a means of deterring war in the current security environment.
Kim stressed that the ruling party and government would continue to make all-out efforts to further strengthen and expand the country’s nuclear combat forces, KCNA reported.
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Heesu Lee, Bloomberg