Launch not reported in Rodong Sinmun; no mention of Kim Jong-un's attendance

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

North Korea said it test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles into the East Sea.

KCNA, North Korea's state-run external news agency, reported Thursday that the Missile General Bureau had test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on Wednesday.

According to KCNA, Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the Korean Workers' Party Central Committee, Missile General Bureau chief Jang Chang-ha, and Korean People's Army naval underwater weapons system engineers were present at the launch site. There was no mention of whether leader Kim Jong-un attended.

KCNA said the launch verified the routine mobilization readiness of underwater combat systems and improved the navy's capacity to carry out strategic missions, adding that it demonstrated the high reliability and capability of North Korea's war deterrence assets.

The agency added that the test launch "had no negative impact on the safety of neighboring countries."

The launch was not reported in the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party newspaper read by North Korean citizens, and was disclosed only through KCNA, which targets foreign audiences. South Korea's military did not publicly confirm the missile launch.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com