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North Korea conducts another cruise missile test from destroyer amid South-U.S. military drills

Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 09:28

LIM JEONG-WON
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A strategic cruise missile is test-fired from the Choe Hyon destroyer in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 11. [YONHAP]

North Korea has conducted another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon, state media reported Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States began their annual springtime military drills.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the test via video Tuesday, in an effort to expand "a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea conducted a similar strategic cruise missile test from the destroyer last week ahead of its commissioning.

"He stressed that the DPRK's offensive weapon systems undergoing constant development constitute an indispensable factor for self-defense literally," the KCNA said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The components of our war deterrent are now being included in the very sophisticated operational system in an effective and accelerated manner continuously, and the country's nuclear forces have made a switch to the phase of multifaceted operation," Kim said during the launch, the KCNA reported.

The launched cruise missiles flew along the flight orbit above the Yellow Sea for 10,116 to 10,138 seconds and hit designated targets, according to the KCNA.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, oversees a test launch of a strategic cruise missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon via video on March 10, in this photo released by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on March 11. [NEWS1]

Kim Ju-ae, Kim Jong-un's daughter and apparent successor to the North Korean regime, was also present at the test launch.

The missile test came as Seoul and Washington kicked off Exercise Freedom Shield Monday for an 11-day run. The North has long denounced the allies' military drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.

North Korea unveiled the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer, as part of efforts to enhance its naval power, in April last year. The ship is equipped with supersonic strategic cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles and other strike means, the North claimed, although South Korean analysis has raised doubt regarding the ship's capabilities.

BY LIM JEONG-WON, YONHAP [[email protected]]