Kim Jong-un Touts New Rocket Launchers, Oversees Long-Range Cruise Missile Tests

Overview

• North Korean state media said Kim Jong-un personally supervised a Dec. 28 launch of long-range cruise missiles over waters west of the Korean Peninsula.
• KCNA described the exercise as a check on nuclear deterrent reliability and quoted Kim vowing the "unlimited" development of nuclear combat capability.
• South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported detecting multiple cruise missiles fired around 8:00 a.m. from the Sunan area near Pyongyang.
• Kim visited a factory producing new multiple rocket launchers, calling the system a "primary means of attack" capable of "annihilating the enemy."
• Yonhap reported that South Korean military authorities are evaluating the likelihood of additional tests around the New Year, as analysts cite goals of greater strike precision and potential exports.