North Korea tests strategic cruise missiles

Pyongyang tested strategic cruise missiles launched from the sea, according to North Korea’s official news agency, which confirmed that the missiles hit their target “accurately.”

North Korean President Kim Jong Un, who attended the tests, said: “The means of deterrence of the armed forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are being further developed.”

The agency stated that the missiles hit their targets after a trajectory of 1,500 kilometers, adding that “there was no negative impact on the security of neighboring countries.”

The news agency said that the new missile tests come within the framework of plans to build national defense capabilities against what it described as potential enemies.

These North Korean tests of strategic weapons are the first since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, last Monday, at a time when North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles, ahead of the US President’s inauguration ceremony.

Trump said he wanted to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom the US president met three times during his first term, but without making progress on the nuclear issue. In response to a question on Fox News, the television channel favored by conservatives, Trump confirmed… Kim “gets along well with him,” and when asked if he would call him back, Trump replied: “Yes, I will,” adding: “Kim Jong Un is a smart man.”

Relations are at their lowest level in years between North Korea and South Korea, which are still technically at war after their armed conflict (1950-1953).

In addition, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs pledged to take “the most stringent countermeasures” towards the United States, as long as Washington adopts a position that conflicts with Pyongyang’s sovereignty, noting that “this is the best way to deal with the United States.”

The ministry said in a statement carried by North Korea’s official news agency, that the increasing tension in the region is based on joint exercises between South Korea, the United States, and their military alliance.

The agency recently published a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticizing Seoul and Washington for holding joint military exercises this January. Such exercises regularly anger North Korea, which sees them as preparations for a possible invasion. Last October, North Korea tested what it described as its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile.

According to US and South Korean intelligence services, North Korea has also sent thousands of soldiers to Russia to support Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.

. Pyongyang pledged to take “the strongest countermeasures” against Washington.