SEOUL: North Korea has test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, state news agency KCNA said Thursday.
The agency said the missiles were fired Wednesday into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, without "any adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries."
The reported launch came after weeks of mounting friction over a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea.
Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the Sept 21 blast in the Seoul-controlled area of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), with both countries testing upgraded missile technology in the aftermath.
The latest testing "aimed to examine the current mobilised posture of the underwater combat systems" and served as a Navy training exercise, KCNA said.
The tests showed the "high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK," the agency reported, referring to North Korea by the abbreviation of the country's official name.
North Korea has carried out several missile launches from submarines in recent years, although its sea-based launch capabilities remain unclear.
Proven submarine-launched missile capability would take North Korea's arsenal to a new level, also allowing deployment beyond the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has carried out multiple ballistic missile tests in October, with the latest launches taking place on Monday.
Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the Korean conflict ended in 1953 with a truce rather than a peace treaty.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd