Kim Jong Un oversees test of long-range air defence missile, inspects nuclear submarine project

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a long-range surface-to-air missile on Wednesday at a launch site near the country’s east coast, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.

The test was conducted to assess strategic technology for developing a new type of high-altitude missile, KCNA said, adding that the weapon successfully destroyed aerial targets from a distance of about 200 km (124 miles).

Kim also inspected construction work on an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching missiles, according to the report. KCNA did not disclose the location or the date of the visit. The submarine project is part of the ruling Workers’ Party’s push to modernise North Korea’s navy, one of five major defence priorities outlined by the leadership.

Kim was quoted as saying that the full-scale development of nuclear capabilities and naval modernisation were “essential and inevitable” in a world that is “by no means peaceful.”

He also criticised South Korea’s plans to develop a nuclear-powered submarine in cooperation with the United States, warning that the move would further inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula and pose a national security threat requiring a response from Pyongyang.

Message from Putin

In a separate report, KCNA said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Kim on December 18 to mark the New Year. Putin said 2025 would hold “special meaning” for relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The message also praised what it described as the “heroic” participation of North Korean soldiers in fighting in Russia’s western Kursk region, saying it demonstrated the “invincible friendship” between the two countries, according to KCNA.