North Korea tests cruise missiles, Kim urges ‘full readiness’ for nuclear deployment

North Korea launched strategic cruise missiles off its west coast this week, marking its fourth missile test of 2025 and the second since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office, media reported on Friday.

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un overseeing a strategic cruise missile launching drill in the West Sea of Korea at an undisclosed location in North Korea on the morning of 26 February 2025 (issued 28 February 2025). According to KCNA, the strategic cruise missiles precise

EPA/KCNA

Leader Kim Jong-un oversaw Wednesday’s pre-dawn launches, calling for “full readiness” to deploy nuclear weapons, according to KCNA. The missiles, which flew roughly 130 minutes over 1,587 kilometers (986 miles), are described as “strategic,” implying potential nuclear capability.

🇰🇵 #North_Korea Conducts Test Launch Of Strategic Cruise Missile

The nuclear-capable missile precisely hit the target after making a flight along a 1,587 km-long oval trajectory, DPRK media reported.pic.twitter.com/78YFgMwd9w

— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) February 28, 2025

South Korea’s military confirmed multiple launches into the Yellow Sea and said Seoul and Washington are analyzing flight data. Cruise missiles are not subject to U.N. sanctions, unlike ballistic missiles and nuclear arms.

The tests come shortly before “Freedom Shield,” a major U.S.-South Korea military drill that Pyongyang routinely denounces, often responding with missile tests.

(jh)

Source: IAR, Yonhap, RMF24