North Korea tests submarine-launched missiles amid rising tensions with South Korea

Seoul, October 15 - North Korea recently conducted tests of two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, according to the state news agency KCNA. The agency stated the launches occurred on Wednesday in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, without causing "any adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries."

This latest testing followed weeks of heightened tensions following a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea on September 21, which injured three South Korean soldiers. Both nations subsequently engaged in testing upgraded missile technology, with the latest tests aiming to evaluate the mobilized state of underwater combat systems and serving as a Navy training exercise.

KCNA reported that the tests demonstrated the "high reliability, trustworthiness, and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK," referring to North Korea by its official abbreviation. Visual evidence released by KCNA included photos showing missiles emerging from the sea either vertically or at a 45-degree angle, as well as a missile flying horizontally over the water and a submarine traversing the water's surface.

Although North Korea has previously conducted several missile launches from submarines, the country's sea-based launch capabilities remain uncertain. Cruise missiles, typically jet-propelled and flying at lower altitudes than more advanced ballistic missiles, are challenging to detect and intercept. The successful development of submarine-launched ballistic missile capabilities would expand North Korea's arsenal, enabling deployment beyond the Korean peninsula and providing a second-strike capability in the event of an attack.

In October, North Korea has carried out multiple ballistic missile tests, most recently on Monday. The two Koreas have been engaged in a series of tit-for-tat missile tests this month, including the testing of hypersonic weapons. South Korea successfully tested its first homegrown hypersonic missile last week, following North Korea's claim of launching an AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

Despite these developments, both South Korea and North Korea remain technically at war, as the Korean conflict concluded in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty.