Still in test phase – North Korea presents new “strategic” weapon

The state-controlled media on Thursday made public the alleged weapons test and talked about the first test of a new type of strategic cruise missile “Pulhwasal-3-31”. The weapon is under development.

The designation as a strategic weapon could indicate that North Korea designed the cruise missile to use nuclear warheads. North Korea is subject to international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program. Unlike ballistic missiles, which can also be equipped with nuclear warheads, cruise missile tests are not directly affected by the UN bans on the largely isolated country. Unlike ballistic missiles, guided missiles have their own permanent propulsion.

Numerous new weapon systems
The South Korean military on Wednesday detected several cruise missiles launched from North Korea. As a result, they fell into the sea between the Korean peninsula and China. No further details are known. North Korea had already published reports last week about testing new weapons systems and rocket engines, including a supposedly nuclear-capable underwater attack drone.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are currently rising again. Over the past two years, North Korea has increased the scale of its missile and guided missile tests and also increased rhetoric against the governments of South Korea and the United States. Leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly called for accelerated preparations for war.