North Korea Tests Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile; Kim Jong Un Oversees as Pyongyang Warns U.S.

Jan 25, 2025, 10:36 PM

North Korea successfully test-fired a strategic cruise missile on January 25, with leader Kim Jong Un personally overseeing the launch, according to state media KCNA. The missile, described as a submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM), flew along an elliptical and figure-eight flight path, covering a distance of 1,500 kilometers over 7,507 to 7,511 seconds, and precisely hit its target. The test marks North Korea's first weapons test since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office. Pyongyang stated that the launch was part of its efforts to bolster war deterrence capabilities and warned that "as long as the United States denies its sovereignty, we will respond with ultra-tough counteraction."