North Korea test-fires 2 submarine cruise missiles — SkimNews
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- North Korea test-fired two types of cruise missile from a submarine into the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) on Oct 14, with state agency KCNA reporting the launch on Oct 15 and saying it had "no adverse impact on the security of neighbouring countries"
- The test aimed to examine the "current mobilised posture of the underwater combat systems" as a navy training exercise, with KCNA calling it proof of the "high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK"
- KCNA photos showed missiles launching vertically from the sea and at a 45-degree angle; Korea Institute for National Unification's Hong Min told AFP that vertical launches extend range while angled launches fly lower and are harder for missile defence systems to detect and intercept
- North Korea–South Korea tensions stem from a Sept 21 landmine blast in the Seoul-controlled DMZ that injured three South Korean soldiers, with both sides conducting tit-for-tat missile tests throughout October
- South Korea test-fired its first homegrown hypersonic missile last week, days after Pyongyang said it had launched an AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile on Oct 12
- Cruise missiles fly at lower altitude than ballistic missiles, making them harder to detect and intercept, and proven submarine-launched ballistic capability would give North Korea a second-strike capability with deployment range far beyond the Korean peninsula
Why it matters: North Korea is demonstrating a two-angle submarine launch profile — vertical for extended range, angled for stealth — incrementally advancing toward a survivable second-strike capability that complicates missile defence planning. The launches cap an October of escalation in which both Koreas have traded hypersonic tests, with South Korea debuting its first homegrown hypersonic missile days after North Korea's Oct 12 AI-guided launch claim.
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