North Korea holds first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly 3 years

North Korea performed its first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly three years on Wednesday, likely from an as-yet-deployed submarine that it says is designed to launch nuclear weapons.The high-profile tests come as North Korea is dialing up weapons demonstrations in an apparent bid to pressure the United States to offer greater concessions if it wants a resumption of diplomacy.The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday the military tested two types of strategic cruise missiles in the country’s eastern waters.It said the tests were aimed at assessing the readiness of North Korea’s underwater combat systems and demonstrating the reliability of its nuclear deterrent.KCNA didn’t say what launch platform was used.But the agency’s photos of the launch suggested the country mobilized the “Hero Kim Kun Ok” submarine that was unveiled in 2023 with great fanfare but drew outside skepticism about its claimed capabilities.If confirmed, Wednesday’s missile launches were the first public weapons tests from that submarine, which implies North Korea began testing weapons systems for the vessel before its deployment in what would be a major threat to South Korea and the US, experts say.North Korea for years has been developing various missiles designed to be fired from underwater, which was a worrying development for its rivals because such launches would be difficult to detect in advance.Before Wednesday’s tests, all North Korean underwater launches were made from a 2,000-ton-class submarine with a single launch tube.

Many experts call it a test platform rather than an operational submarine in active service.In September 2023, North Korea launched the “Hero Kim Kun Ok,” saying the submarine was capable of launching tactical nuclear weapons from underwater.State media photos showed the submarine has at least 10 missile launch tubes in addition to its torpedo tubes.At the time, many foreign experts were skeptical the submarine would work...