North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the second cruise missile test from the country’s newest destroyer in the last week, state media reported Wednesday.
The development comes as Pyongyang has been expressing strong opposition to the ongoing joint exercise by the US and South Korean militaries.
State-run Korean Central Television says the missiles were launched from a new 5,000-ton class Choe Hyon destroyer off Nampho, undergoing performance tests.
The missiles reportedly flew for nearly 2 hours and 50 minutes along their designated trajectories over the Yellow Sea off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula before striking their targets.
Kim watched the test via video link along with his teenage daughter from an undisclosed but remote indoor location, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The missiles flew along a flight orbit above the Yellow Sea and hit designated targets, said KCNA.
“The components of our war deterrent are now being included in the very sophisticated operational system in an effective and accelerated manner continuously, and the country’s nuclear forces have made a switch to the phase of multifaceted operation,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Expressing his satisfaction that the test verified the “reliability of the national integrated control system of strategic weapons,” he stressed the need to examine the military efficiency of naval automatic guns installed on the warship and presented tasks for strengthening naval power.
North Korea conducted a similar cruise missile test from the destroyer last week ahead of its commissioning.
The latest test-firing came after the US and South Korea launched the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise on Monday.
