North Korea test-fired four strategic cruise missiles on Thursday in a show of its nuclear combat force, its state media said on Friday, as South Korea and the United States began tabletop exercises this week.
The launching drill, which involved four “Hwasal-2” strategic cruise missiles, was held in the vicinity of Kim Chaek City, North Hamgyong province, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
KCNA said the drill was aimed at verifying the weapon system’s reliability and the rapid-response capabilities of the strategic cruise missile units, which are one of North Korea’s nuclear deterrents.
According to the report, the missiles “precisely hit a preset target on the East Sea of Korea after traveling the 2,000 kilometers-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds.”…