North Korea Launched Two Strategic Cruise Missiles From Submarine

The test is suspected by South Korea to be countermeasures in response to joint large-scale Freedom Shield exercises by the US and South Korea by the US and South Korea. Image | Enhanced by Donald Standeford.

By Donald Standeford, SJ Founder/Publisher
January 13, 2023 01:00 am UTC
Modified: 2023-03-13 01:00 am

PYONGYANG - North Korea announced that they launched two strategic cruise missiles (usually nuclear capable missile types) from a submarine underwater on Sunday. The missiles flew about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) for about 125 minutes (7,563 to 7,575 seconds).

According to a translated version of the article by Voice of Korea, the submarine that launched the missile was called "August 24 Hero Warship" and was mobilized for a drill before launching two strategic cruise missiles "at the waters off the Kyongpho Bay off the East Sea of Korea".

A report by South Korean news agency Yonhap said: "North Korea says it fired two 'strategic cruise missiles' from submarine Sunday," along a "figure-8 shaped flight orbit simulating the distance of 1,500 kilometers set on the East Sea of Korea and hit the target".

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement on Monday that said it had detected the missile launch from a North Korean submarine near the country's eastern port city of Sinpo on Sunday.

South Korean and United States intelligence agencies are analyzing the details of the missile launch, according to South Korean authorities.

Voice of Korea said that the drill "confirmed the reliability of the weapon system" and "inspected and judged the operational posture of the underwater-to-ground attack of the submarine units," and said that the submarine launch "served its purpose".

The test is suspected by South Korea to be countermeasures in response to joint large-scale "Freedom Shield" exercises by the US and South Korea by the United States and South Korea on the same day of the launch.