North Korea tests submarine-launched cruise missiles amid tensions with South

North Korea conducts submarine missile tests following border tensions. (Photo/Reuters)

North Korea has test-fired two distinct types of cruise missiles from a submarine, its state media reported, following weeks of friction with South Korea triggered by a landmine explosion along their heavily fortified border.

The projectiles were launched on Wednesday into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, without "any adverse impact on the security of neighbouring countries", the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed.

The official news agency said the latest tests "aimed to examine the current mobilised posture of the underwater combat systems" and served as a naval exercise, highlighting the "high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK".

Submarine-launched capabilities remain a critical objective for Pyongyang, offering lower-altitude flight profiles that complicate detection and radar interception compared to traditional ballistic weapons.

Tactical significance

State-media photographs showed one projectile emerging vertically from the sea, trailed by thick smoke, while a second missile breached the water's surface at a 45-degree angle.

Accompanying imagery depicted a projectile skimming horizontally over open water alongside a surfaced submarine.

The test forms part of a wider tit-for-tat escalation across October, with both nations testing hypersonic technology.

South Korea launched its first domestic hypersonic glide vehicle last week, days after Pyongyang announced tests of an AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic weapon.

The two Koreas remain technically in a state of war after the 1950–1953 conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

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Source: TRT