North Korea says it tested strategic cruise missiles
January 26, 2025
Kim Jong Un oversaw the missile test — the first since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Trump has said he would reach out to Kim in his second term.
Kim Jong Un supervised the test, according to KCNA, which called it a test-fire of an 'important weapon system'Image: KCNA/REUTERS
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North Korea carried out a strategic cruise missile test, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported Sunday.
The country's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test, according to the report. North Korea's war deterrence means were being "perfected more thoroughly," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement North Korea had fired "several" cruise missiles from an inland area toward waters off its west coast at around 4 p.m. local time (0700 UTC/GMT) on Saturday.
It said Seoul is prepared to "overwhelmingly" counter any provocations by Pyongyang together with its military alliance with the US.
Future of US-North Korea relations
The missile test was Pyongyang's first since US President Donald Trump kicked off his second term on Monday.
In an interview aired Thursday, Trump said he plans to restore relations with Kim, calling the North Korean leader a "smart guy." During Trump's first term in office, the two met on three occasions.
'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea
US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim have met once again, this time in the Demilitarized Zone. In a largely symbolic meeting, Trump and Kim hailed their personal close relationship amid stalled nuclear talks.
Image: Reuters/U.S. Network Pool
Third Kim-Trump meeting
It was the third meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in just over a year. The first Trump-Kim summit took place in Singapore in June last year. A meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was held in February 2019. Both meetings failed to provide a clear roadmap for North Korea's denuclearization.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/B. Smialowski
Making history
Trump made history on June 30 with his latest encounter with Kim. He's the first sitting US president to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides South and North Korea. Trump briefly crossed into North Korea as he shook hands with Kim. He said he was "proud to step over the line."
Image: AFP/Getty Images/B. Smialowski
Watching over the North
Prior to his meeting with Kim, Trump flew to the DMZ with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The US president met with South Korean and American troops as he watched over North Korea from a military post in the DMZ. US presidents in the past have visited American troops on the South Korean side but not set foot in the DMZ.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
'Great friendship'
From calling Kim Jong Un "little rocket man" to someone he has a "certain chemistry" with, Trump has come a long way in his dealing with North Korea. On June 30, he once again emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean dictator. Kim, too, hailed his "wonderful" relationship with Trump, saying the latest meeting would enable nuclear talks.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/B. Smialowski
'In no rush'
Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse over nuclear talks, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough. Although his previous two meetings with the North Korean leader didn't yield any result, Trump said he was "in no rush" to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Image: picture-alliance/Yonhapnews Agency
Regime survival
Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival. In March, new satellite imagery suggested that North Korea started rebuilding a rocket launch site before Kim and Trump's Vietnam summit in Feruary. The site had been dismantled last year as part of Kim's denuclearization pledge.
Image: picture-alliance/Yonhap
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Meanwhile, in a separate KCNA report on Sunday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry condemned Washington and Seoul for conducting joint military drills in recent days.
The statement said North Korea "should counter the US with the toughest counteraction" as long as Washington denies Pyongyang's "sovereignty and security interests."
Joint military exercises between the US and South Korea regularly prompt angry reactions from the North, which accuses Washington and Seoul of practicing for an invasion.
