N.K. leader oversees submarine-launched cruise missile test
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the test-fire of submarine-launched cruise missiles and reviewed a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, YONHAP reports citing state media.
The new Pulhwasal-3-31 strategic cruise missile precisely hit an island target after flying over the East Sea for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, suggesting the test involved two missiles.
The flight time translates to two hours, three minutes and 41 seconds, and two hours, four minutes and five seconds, respectively. The KCNA did not give further details, including whether the missiles were launched from a submarine or a barge and how far they flew.
The South Korean military said Sunday it had detected the North's launch of several cruise missiles at around 8 a.m. over waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where a shipyard to build a North Korean submarine is located.
The Pulhwasal-3-31 is a new cruise missile that the North test-fired for the first time Wednesday. Just four days after the first launch, North Korea conducted the missile tests under the leader's supervision and disclosed that they were submarine-launched cruise missiles.
Cruise missiles, powered by jet engines, fly low and maneuver, making them hard to detect and intercept.
Kim stressed Sunday that "the nuclear weaponization of the navy is an urgent task of the times and a core requirement for building the state nuclear strategic force," the KCNA said.
