North Korea has test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the sea off its east coast, according to state media KCNA. The test on Wednesday aimed to examine the reliability of war deterrents and improve the navy’s skill in performing strategic missions. One of the missiles fired was a Pulhwasal-3-31, the same type of strategic cruise missile North Korea reported testing from land last week. Senior military officers observed the tests conducted at sea, and KCNA stated that the tests had no adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries.
North Korea is not believed to have launched a modern missile submarine in full operation, which is a top military priority for the country’s leader Kim Jong Un. He has overseen the development of various strategic ballistic and cruise missiles. Last year, Kim criticized a nuclear submarine deal between the US and South Korea during a tour of his country’s submarine production facility, where state media showed an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered missile submarine under construction. He described the deal as a threat to the stability of the Korean Peninsula.
Recently, Pyongyang has conducted multiple missile tests. Earlier this week, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, contributing to rising tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang. On October 3, North Korea tested a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. Following the ballistic missile launch, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Jang Do-young indicated that the move appeared to be a show of force, occurring shortly after South Korea tested its own hypersonic weapon.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country’s first test firing of a hypersonic missile, which his office stated would enhance South Korea’s ability to strike key targets by surprise in the Korean Peninsula theatre of operations. Inter-Korean relations have deteriorated further following a landmine blast in September, which Seoul attributed to North Korea, injuring three soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A joint South Korean-United Nations investigation concluded that two landmines that exploded in the DMZ were planted by North Korean forces about a year ago, prompting Seoul to demand an official apology.
North Korea has accelerated military fortification along the DMZ as part of Kim Jong Un’s “hostile-states” policy, initiated in 2023, aimed at permanently severing ties with South Korea. Diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula have stalled since the collapse of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang in 2019 during the first Trump administration. Although Trump has suggested the possibility of meeting Kim Jong Un in his second term, no such meeting has occurred.