Kim Jong Un Oversees Long-Range Missile Test as North Korea Pushes Naval Modernisation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles near the country’s east coast, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KCNA said the missile test was conducted on Wednesday and was aimed at evaluating North Korea’s strategic technology for developing a new high-altitude missile system. The missiles reportedly struck and destroyed aerial targets at a distance of about 200 kilometres.

In a related development, Kim also inspected construction work on an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine designed to carry surface-to-air missiles. KCNA did not disclose the location or timing of the inspection.

The submarine project forms part of the ruling Workers’ Party’s drive to modernise the North Korean Navy, which is listed among five major defence priorities intended to strengthen the country’s military capabilities.

Kim was quoted as saying that the expansion of nuclear capabilities and the modernisation of naval forces were “essential and inevitable,” citing what he described as an increasingly unstable global security environment.

He also criticised South Korea’s plans, agreed with the United States, to develop a nuclear-powered submarine, warning that the move would heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten North Korea’s national security.

Separately, North Korean state media condemned the recent docking of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine at a South Korean port, calling it an act that escalates military tensions in the region. The South Korean Navy said the USS Greeneville arrived at the port of Busan on Tuesday for crew rest and resupply.

North Korea further accused Japan of harbouring ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons, alleging that such intentions were being encouraged by South Korea’s pursuit of nuclear submarine capabilities.