State media said on Thursday that Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of two long-range cruise missiles, adding that the weapons had already been assigned to “tactical nuclear” units of the North Korean army.
In recent weeks, Kim has presided over a barrage of ballistic missile launches, which Pyongyang has characterized as nuclear rehearsals simulating the destruction of South Korean airports and military installations.
According to KCNA, the two cruise missiles were “deployed to the units of the Korean People’s Army for the operation of tactical nukes” and the Wednesday test was intended to “improve the fighting effectiveness” of the weapons.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the cruise missiles traveled 1,240 miles over the ocean before striking their objectives because they fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, making them more difficult to detect and stop.
According to KCNA, Kim expressed “great pleasure” with the tests, saying they demonstrated the nation’s nuclear fighting forces were “fully equipped for real battle” and that they had sent a “clear warning to the adversaries.”
Although experts reject Pyongyang’s claims, claiming it hasn’t shown that it can truly build nuclear warheads compact enough, North Korea has tested “strategic” cruise missiles previously, but this is the first time it has claimed they have a nuclear purpose and are operational.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said that “North Korea’s cruise missiles, air force, and tactical nuclear weapons are probably considerably less competent than propaganda indicates.”
“The Kim dictatorship likes to overstate power and capabilities, but it is sometimes unexpectedly candid about weapons development intentions,” he said.
As long-stalled negotiations and UN stalemate over Ukraine’s involvement have prevented the possibility of further penalties, Kim has intensified the development and testing of his prohibited nuclear weapons.
Since months, Seoul and Washington officials have been issuing warnings that Pyongyang is preparing to carry out a further nuclear test, which would be the nation’s eighth.
According to KCNA on Thursday, Kim said that North Korea would “focus all efforts on the limitless and accelerated expansion of the national nuclear combat armed forces.”
Although Pyongyang is not legally prohibited from testing cruise missiles by the U.N., all launches of ballistic missiles are prohibited and are often reported by Seoul or Tokyo. Both had failed to notify the Wednesday test.
At a crucial party meeting in January 2021, Kim declared the acquisition of tactical nukes—smaller, lighter weapons intended for use on the battlefield—to be a primary goal.
According to Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification, who spoke to Agence France Presse, “the most recent test indicates the North is using tactical nuclear capabilities on cruise missiles, which are tougher to detect due to their low-altitude flight.”
He said, “It is a testimony to Pyongyang’s capacity to install nuclear warheads, and cruise missiles may also have erratic flight trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.”
Kim declared North Korea a “irreversible” nuclear state last month, virtually removing the chance of discussions over its arsenal. As a result, North Korea changed its nuclear laws last month to permit preemptive attacks.
Since then, Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington have increased joint military drills, twice sending a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier to the region. Pyongyang is enraged by this because it believes that the drills are practice for an invasion.
North Korea planned exercises in retaliation, claiming earlier this week that they had simulated using tactical nukes to attack South Korea’s ports, airports, and military command centers.