SEOUL — North Korea test-fired a newly designed air-defence missile system and staged a cruise missile strike drill on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, in the country's fourth weapons launch in a month.
KCNA said the air-defence test confirmed the technical specifications and reliability of the missile's new materials and multiple guidance modes, as well as the system's target identification and tracking capability and its detection information processing device. The test was conducted by the North's Missile Administration.
A sub-unit of North Korea's long-range strategic cruise missile unit in the east also struck a virtual airport target in a drill on Wednesday, KCNA said. The report confirmed a South Korean military statement on Wednesday that Pyongyang fired multiple missiles towards the sea from the Sondok area on the east coast. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew less than 300 kilometers, and authorities were still analyzing the specific projectiles.
Images released by Pyongyang appeared to show the cruise missile carrying a cluster warhead, according to Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum. Shin said the new air-defence missile, first unveiled in November 2025, appears to have a guidance section resembling Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
The launches coincided with the joint South Korea-U.S. air exercise "Freedom Flag," and marked the fourth show of force by Pyongyang in the past week. North Korea did not disclose specific specifications, flight distances or launch locations for the air-defence missile in its report.
The tests add to a quickening pace of North Korean weapons activity as diplomacy over the peninsula remains stalled. South Korea's military said it was continuing to analyze the launches and was monitoring for further activity.
