North Korea test-fires submarine-launched cruise missiles amid rising tensions

North Korea tested two types of strategic cruise missiles designed for launch from submarines. The test mattered because it examined the readiness of underwater combat systems and displayed another part of the country’s missile program. State media said the exercise caused no adverse impact on neighboring countries.

The missiles were fired on Wednesday into the East Sea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan. Photos released by KCNA showed one missile rising vertically through the sea’s surface, while another appeared to emerge at about a 45-degree angle. Other images showed a missile flying horizontally and a submarine on the water.

North Korea has conducted several submarine missile launches in recent years, but the article says its sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear. The tests came during rising tensions with South Korea, following a landmine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers in the DMZ.

A submarine-launched cruise missile is a guided weapon carried and fired by a submarine beneath or near the water’s surface. After leaving the submarine, it breaks through the water and continues through the air toward its target. Unlike a ballistic missile, it generally does not follow a high, arcing path.

The article’s photographs showed missiles emerging vertically and at roughly a 45-degree angle. Once airborne, cruise missiles tend to use jet propulsion and fly at lower altitude. That lets them travel more like aircraft than like rockets, following a comparatively flatter route over the sea.

This launch method gives a navy another way to position and fire missiles. However, the article says North Korea’s sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear. The tests were intended to examine the readiness of underwater combat systems and also served as Navy training.

The launch involved two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles. Testing more than one type suggests the exercise covered multiple underwater missile systems, although the article does not identify their specific models. KCNA said the exercise examined the current readiness of underwater combat systems.

The earlier border incident was a landmine explosion on September 21. It occurred in the Seoul-controlled area of the Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ, and injured three South Korean soldiers. The blast became part of the background to the later missile testing and increased friction between the two countries.

After the explosion, both North and South Korea tested upgraded missile technology. The article also describes a broader tit-for-tat series of launches, including hypersonic weapons. The two countries remain technically at war because their 1953 conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

Cruise missiles are generally harder to detect and intercept because they fly at lower altitude than ballistic missiles. A lower path can reduce the distance at which radar or other defenses notice them. It can also leave less time for defenders to identify the missile and respond.

The article describes cruise missiles as usually jet-propelled. That means they travel through the air in a controlled, aircraft-like way rather than making the high, arcing flight associated with ballistic missiles. The photographs showed one missile flying horizontally over the sea, illustrating this lower, flatter type of movement.

This advantage does not mean cruise missiles cannot be detected or intercepted. It means defenses may face a more difficult problem. The article contrasts this feature with ballistic missiles and says North Korea’s sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear, despite several submarine launch tests.

The Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ, is the heavily fortified area along the border between North and South Korea. The article identifies the blast site as being in the Seoul-controlled area of the DMZ. It is therefore a sensitive place where military activity and security incidents have direct consequences for both sides.

On September 21, a landmine exploded there and injured three South Korean soldiers. The article links the blast to weeks of mounting friction. Afterward, both countries tested upgraded missile technology, creating a tit-for-tat pattern of military demonstrations.

Tensions can rise quickly because the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty. The two countries remain technically at war. The article presents the border incident as the immediate background to missile testing, but it does not describe who placed the mine or assign responsibility for the explosion.

A proven submarine-launched ballistic missile capability would give North Korea a more survivable way to deploy nuclear or other strategic weapons, although the article does not say which warheads would be carried. Submarines can operate at sea, making their exact location harder to know than a fixed launch site. This could expand the country’s military reach.

The article says such a capability would allow deployment far beyond the Korean Peninsula. It also says it would provide a second-strike capability in the event of an attack. In simple terms, a country could retain the ability to retaliate even if an initial attack damaged its land-based forces.

That possibility would take North Korea’s arsenal to a new level, according to the article. However, North Korea’s demonstrated submarine-launched cruise missile tests do not by themselves prove a submarine-launched ballistic missile capability. The article says the country’s sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear.

Deterrence is the effort to prevent an attack by convincing an opponent that the consequences would be unacceptable. It can depend on weapons, military readiness, and the belief that a country would actually respond. KCNA described North Korea’s tests as demonstrating the reliability and ability of its “war deterrents.”

A second-strike capability strengthens deterrence because it preserves the ability to retaliate after an initial attack. The article links submarine-launched ballistic missiles to this capability. A submarine at sea could potentially keep some forces available even if land-based systems were hit, though the article does not say North Korea has proved this ability.

The logic is intended to make starting a war less attractive. Yet the current reality remains uncertain. North Korea has tested submarine-launched cruise missiles, but the article says its sea-based launch capabilities are unclear. The tests therefore signal capability and readiness without proving every claimed military advantage.