N.Korea says it test-fired new strategic cruise missiles

Seoul, Jan 25: North Korea said on Thursday that it has test-fired new "Pulhwasal-3-31" strategic cruise missiles for the first time as part of "regular and obligatory" activities to develop powerful weapons systems.

The missile launch on Wednesday did not pose any threat to the safety of North Korea's neighbouring countries and has nothing to do with regional security, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The test-fire is a process of constant updating of the weapon system and a regular and obligatory activity," of the Missile General Bureau and its affiliated defence science institutes, KCNA said. It did not disclose the missiles' flight details.

The South Korean military said Wednesday it detected the North's launches of several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea at around 7 a.m.

It marked North Korea's first known cruise missile launch since September 2023, when the country test-fired two long-range strategic cruise missiles with mock nuclear warheads toward the Yellow Sea.