North Korea has conducted a test of a new air-defence missile and staged a strategic cruise missile drill, according to the country’s state media.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the air-defence missile test verified the weapon’s technical capabilities, reliability, advanced materials and multiple guidance systems. The test also assessed the missile system’s ability to detect, identify and track targets.
In a separate exercise on Wednesday, a unit of North Korea’s long-range strategic cruise missile forces carried out a strike drill targeting a simulated airport in the country’s eastern region.
The report also confirmed an earlier statement by South Korea’s military that Pyongyang had fired multiple missiles towards the sea from the Sondok area along its east coast. The latest launch marks North Korea’s fourth weapons test in a month.
A South Korean Defence Ministry official said on Thursday that initial detection data indicated the missiles could belong to several different types.
Meanwhile, images released by North Korea appeared to show a cruise missile equipped with a cluster warhead, according to Shin Jong-woo, Secretary General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
Shin suggested that the exercise may have been designed to assess the warhead’s ability to spread its payload across a targeted area.
He also noted that North Korea’s new air-defence missile, first unveiled in November 2025, appeared to feature a guidance section similar to Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
