The China-backed U.S. adversary said the missile was fired into its western waters.
North Korea announced Tuesday that it had test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to South Korea.
The China-backed U.S. adversary said the missile was fired into its western waters.
The missile test was announced hours before Trump was due to arrive for a regional summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, where the U.S.-allied nation is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will both be in attendance.
North Korea’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency described the test as a success, saying that the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the regime’s nuclear-armed military.
South Korea’s military didn’t immediately confirm whether it had detected the tests.
North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong Un, has seen a surge in its military capabilities recently after developing a closer relationship with Russia. In exchange for technological aid from Russia, North Korea has sent contingents of its own troops to the front lines of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The most recent test announced by North Korea came after Russia announced a successful test of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which it has boasted could be able to circumnavigate the globe without being detected.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Joseph Lord
