North Korea says it successfully test-fired newly developed long-range cruise missiles over the weekend, its first known testing activity in months, underscoring how it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations with the United States.

The Korean Central News Agency said that on Monday the cruise missiles, which had been under development for two years, demonstrated an ability to engage targets 1,500 kilometers away.

The new missiles shall work as a strategic weapon of great significance that meets leader Kim Jong Un’s call to strengthen the country’s military might. North Korea’s weapon trials are meant to build a nuclear and missile program that can stand up to what it claims as the US and South Korean hostility, but they are also considered as ways to make its political demands clear to leaders in Washington and Seoul.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military was analyzing the North Korean launches based on US and South Korean intelligence. The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was monitoring the situation with allies and that the North Korean activity reflects a continuing focus on “developing its military program and the threats it poses to its neighbors and the international community.” Japan said it was “extremely concerned.”

Source: Euronews

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