North Korea test-fires strategic cruise missiles, Kim declares 'war deterrence complete'

In this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, a strategic cruise missile is being test-fired from an unspecified location in North Korea on Jan. 25. [YONHAP]

 
North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles Saturday as the Lunar New Year holidays began in South Korea, North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported early Sunday.
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that “the means for war deterrence is completed” with the new missile launch, according to the KCNA report.
 
This is the first weapons system test since U.S. President Donald Trump look office on Jan. 20. Trump has since declared in an interview with Fox News that he will “reach out” to Kim for dialogue, and with Saturday’s missile launch, it appears that the North Korean leader will not immediately respond to Trump’s proposal for talks and will continue the standoff situation of strengthening defense capabilities.
 
“The launched strategic cruise missiles flew along an elliptical and figure-8 orbit over a 1,500 km flight range for 7,507 to 7,511 seconds and hit the intended targets,” the KCNA reported. “They did not have any negative impact on the safety of neighboring countries.”
 
“The regime’s military’s war deterrence means are being further thoroughly perfected,” Kim said at the launch of the missiles Saturday, according to the KCNA report. “We will always responsibly strive to fulfill our important mission and duty to protect continuous and permanent peace and stability based on our more powerful and evolved military power in the future.”
 
Also present at the weapon test launch Saturday were Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of North Korea, and Jang Chang-ha, director of the Missile General Bureau.
 
 

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]