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The destroyer Choe Hyon conducting a test-fire of a missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Sunday. (AFP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw new tests of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles launched from a naval destroyer, state media reported Tuesday.
The weapons tests occurred on Sunday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, and are the latest in a string of recent missile launches by the nuclear-armed nation.
Two strategic cruise missiles each flew for just over two hours, according to KCNA, while the anti-warship missiles flew for 33 minutes.
The missiles flew “along the flight orbits set in the sky above the West Sea of Korea and struck the targets with ultra-precision hit accuracy”, KCNA said, using its preferred name for the Yellow Sea.
The tests were carried out from the Choe Hyon, one of two 5,000-tonne destroyers in the North’s arsenal, both launched last year as Kim seeks to ramp up the country’s naval capabilities.
A photo released by KCNA showed a missile in its initial flight stage after being launched from the warship, with an orange flame trailing from its tail.
KCNA said Kim was also briefed on planning for the weapons systems of two more destroyers under construction, referred to simply as “Nos 3 and 4”.
Kim reportedly “expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the preparedness of our army’s strategic action has been strengthened”.
He reiterated that bolstering the North’s nuclear deterrent was the “most important priority task”.
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