North Korea conducted its first flight test of a new cruise missile, it said Thursday, as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un looks to expand his military capabilities amid a deepening rift with South Korea and the United States.
According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, the launch of the Pulhwasal-3-31 missile did not pose a threat to neighbors as it is still in its development phase. The outlet said the missile could eventually carry nuclear weapons.
Tensions in the region have increased in recent months as Kim continues to accelerate his weapons development and provocative threats to the U.S. and its Asian allies. In response, the United States, South Korea and Japan have been continuing their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns.
The reported single launch came a day after the North fired several cruise missiles into waters off its western coast. South Korea’s military said it detected the missiles and that they caused no damage.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said flight data showed the missiles flew a shorter distance than previous North Korean cruise missile launches. The cruise missile launches were North Korea’s second known launch event of the year after North Korea launched its first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile on Jan. 14.
The launches are undoubtedly a show of force to place pressure on rivals, but they may also be indicating a problem within North Korea, according to Yang Uk, an analyst at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
Yang said the North is trying to show off its diversifying arsenal of nuclear-capable weapons but these displays of new weapons systems come amid a slowdown in tests of short-range ballistic missiles. This could indicate North Korea is suffering shortages in its personal inventory as it is allegedly sending arms to Russia, Yang said.
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U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing artillery shells, missiles and other supplies to Russia for its war in Ukraine. In return, North Korea is gaining much-needed economic assistance and military technology.
Both Pyongyang and Moscow have officially denied that North Korea was sending weapons to Russia. The U.S. and Ukrainian intelligence have said that Russia is using North Korean weapons in Ukraine.
Kim met with Russian President Putin at a Russian space launch center in September and the two are scheduling another meeting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
