Overview
- KCNA said the sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles were vertically launched from a vessel and flew for about 7,800 seconds before striking a target.
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported detecting the launch around 3 p.m. Tuesday and said ROK and U.S. intelligence are jointly analyzing flight data.
- Senior official Pak Jong-chon oversaw the exercise, declaring “important successes” toward a practical nuclear force and inspecting crews of new 5,000-ton destroyers.
- Kim Jong-un was not shown at the event, a departure from many major tests and the latest in a series of state-media omissions.
- The test came hours before President Trump arrived for APEC; he downplayed the launches and reiterated openness to meeting Kim as analysts judged prospects for talks to have dimmed.