North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a long-range strategic cruise missile launching drill on Sunday, the country’s official news agency, KCNA, reported.
According to the report, Kim expressed “satisfaction” as the cruise missiles flew along their orbit set above the sea west of the Korean Peninsula and hit their target.
The North Korean leader also said that "checking the reliability and rapid response of the components of the DPRK's nuclear deterrent on a regular basis... are just a responsible exercise," as the country "is facing various security threats."
Kim affirmed that North Korea would keep devoting all its efforts to developing its nuclear combat force, according to the KCNA report.
North Korea has upped its rhetoric in recent days. Last week, Kim signaled that his country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, adding that “the country's missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent.”
A day earlier, the North Korean leader personally oversaw the test-firing of a long-range surface-to-air missile at a launch site near the country’s east coast.
KCNA reported the test was conducted to evaluate North Korea’s strategic technology for developing a new type of high-altitude missile. The missile successfully destroyed aerial targets from a distance of 200 kilometers.
Kim was quoted as stating that the “all-out development of nuclear capabilities and modernization of the Navy are essential and inevitable,” adding that “the present world is by no means peaceful.”