North Korea Tests New Air Defence System and Cruise Missiles

North Korea carried out a test launch of a new surface-to-air missile system and held a cruise missile strike exercise on Wednesday, according to state media KCNA. The report, published on Thursday, said the air defence test confirmed the technical specifications and reliability of new materials used in the missile, as well as multiple guidance modes. It also verified the system's ability to identify and track targets.

A unit of the North's long-range strategic cruise missile force in the east struck a simulated airport target during the exercise, KCNA added. The report aligned with a statement from South Korea's military on Wednesday that Pyongyang had launched several missiles towards the sea from the Sondok area on the east coast. This marks the fourth North Korean weapons launch in a month.

A South Korean defence ministry official said on Thursday that early detection data suggested the missiles might have been of several different types. Images released by Pyongyang appeared to show a cruise missile fitted with a cluster munition warhead, according to Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Forum for Defence and Security. Shin said the launch seemed aimed at testing how effectively the warhead could scatter its payload over a target area.

He also noted that the new air defence missile, first unveiled in November 2025, appears to have a guidance system similar to that of Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile. North Korea has conducted a series of weapons tests in recent weeks, drawing international attention to its military developments.