[Breaking News] North Korea Launches Long-Range Cruise Missile… Kim Jong-un Vows to “Fully Develop Nuclear Capabilities”

“Missiles flew for over 10,000 seconds and hit targets accurately” … “Launched around 8 AM on the 28th.” North Korea conducted a long-range strategic cruise missile launch drill in the West Sea on the 28th, attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 29th. KCNA announced that Kim Jong-un participated in the missile launch training the day before, stating “strategic cruise missiles flew along designated flight paths for 10,199 seconds and 10,203 seconds over the West Sea of Korea, hitting their targets accurately.” The report explained that the purpose of this exercise was to review the counterstrike readiness and combat capabilities of long-range missile units, train missile personnel in maneuver and fire mission execution procedures, and assess the strike reliability of the strategic weapon system. Kim Jong-un expressed great satisfaction with the training outcome, saying it was “a practical verification of the absolute reliability and combat capability of our strategic counterstrike ability.” He emphasized that routinely checking the reliability and rapid responsiveness of nuclear deterrent components and continuously showcasing their power is a responsible exercise of self-defense rights in the current security situation with various threats. He added that “exercising war deterrence” is crucial. Kim also stressed that the North Korean government will “continue to make utmost efforts to endlessly and sustainably enhance and develop the national nuclear combat force.” A Joint Chiefs of Staff official reported detecting several missile launches near the Sunan area, close to Pyongyang, around 8 AM the previous day. Military officials indicated the possibility of additional missile tests by North Korea as the year-end approaches.