North Korea tests cruise missiles from new warship as Kim Jong Un watches | World News

North Korea carried out missile tests from its new warship over the weekend, observed by leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles, supervised by Kim, senior defence officials and naval commanders, North Korea’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said on Tuesday.

The cruise missiles, which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, flew for more than two hours and the anti-ship missiles for more than 30 minutes.

They followed pre-set trajectories over the country’s western seas before accurately striking their targets, the newspaper said.

Pictures of Kim and other senior officials watching from a pier as a projectile trailed gray smoke while arcing away from the 5,000-tonne-class destroyer, the Choe Hyon, were published by another state outlet, the Korean Central News Agency.

Afterwards, the secretive regime’s leader said his government remained focused on the “limitless expansion” of its nuclear forces and issued unspecified new tasks to sharpen the country’s nuclear attack and rapid-response capabilities.

He also reviewed plans for the weapons systems for his third and fourth destroyers currently being built, Rodong Sinmun said.

The Choe Hyon, which went into service last April, is vital to the operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities of Pyongyang’s military, according to Kim.

It can carry a range of systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, state media has said.

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Russia probably helped build the vessel, South Korean officials and experts have said amid deepening military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, but some experts doubt whether it’s ready for active service.

A second destroyer, unveiled in May last year, was damaged during a botched launch at the northern port of Chongjin, leaving Kim furious.

The ship, named Kang Kon, was relaunched in June after repairs, state media said, but outside experts have questioned whether it’s fully operational.

State media say a third destroyer under construction at the Nampo shipyard on the country’s western coast is expected to be completed in time for the ruling Workers’ Party’s founding anniversary in October.

In recent years, North Korea has test-fired a variety of ICBMs, demonstrating the potential range to strike the US mainland, including missiles with solid propellants that make detection ahead of liftoff more difficult.

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It is part of a big push to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

Last week, it tested new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, state media said.