SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday its latest launches involved multiple weapons systems, including a nuclear-capable cruise missile that leader Kim Jong Un plans to deploy with front-line units facing South Korea, as he continues expanding his military capabilities.
The report by North Korean state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North launching multiple projectiles, including at least one close-range ballistic missile, toward its western waters. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 80 kilometers (50 miles) but didn’t specify other types of weapons involved.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim supervised Tuesday’s tests that featured ballistic missiles with new warheads designed for battlefield nuclear use, nuclear-capable cruise missiles guided by artificial-intelligence technology, and 240-millimeter rocket artillery equipped with “ultra-precision” navigation systems. South Korea’s military did not immediately comment on the North Korean claims.
KCNA said Kim expressed satisfaction with the tests, particularly the performance of cruise missile systems intended for deployment with front-line long-range artillery units near the border with South Korea. He called for faster efforts to modernize and strengthen his artillery forces so that “no one can match,” the agency said.
Kim has sped up efforts to modernize North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenal since his diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. He has also adopted a hard line toward South Korea, which he declared as his country’s “most hostile enemy” and moved to sever longstanding inter-Korean ties. During a meeting with military commanders last week, Kim discussed strengthening frontline units along the border in line with a state goal of turning the frontier into “an impregnable fortress,” state media said.
Kim’s foreign policy focus has increasingly shifted toward Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large shipments of conventional weapons to support its war in Ukraine. He has also sought closer ties with China, North Korea’s main ally and economic lifeline, while portraying Pyongyang as part of a broader front against Washington.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to revive diplomacy with Kim, but Pyongyang has ignored those overtures and insisted Washington abandon demands for North Korea’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.
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