North says it conducted Hwasal-2 cruise missile drill

North Korean state media reported Wednesday that the regime had conducted a drill involving Hwasal-2 cruise missiles the previous day to enhance its counterattack and striking capabilities.

A Hwasal-2 cruise missile is launched in an undisclosed area along the western coast of North Korea on Tuesday morning in this photo released by Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

North Korean state media reported Wednesday that the regime had conducted a drill involving Hwasal-2 cruise missiles the previous day to enhance its counterattack and striking capabilities.

According to Pyongyang’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the drill had “no adverse effect on the security of a neighboring country.”

Photos released by the KCNA on Wednesday showed a Hwasal-2 cruise missile flying just above what appeared to be a coastal plain, as well as a target on a rocky outcrop being hit by a missile.

A Hwasal-2 cruise missile flies at low altitude on the western coast of North Korea on Tuesday morning in this photo released by Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

However, the state news agency did not offer additional details, such as the number of missiles fired and the lengths of their flight trajectories.

South Korean military authorities said they detected the launch of multiple cruise missiles from the western coast of North Korea on Tuesday.

Powered by jet propulsion technology, cruise missiles usually fly at a lower speed and altitude than ballistic missiles but can change their trajectories.

While the North is formally barred from carrying out tests of ballistic missile technology under resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council, no such restrictions apply to its cruise missile program.

However, experts say the North’s cruise missiles still pose a risk to South Korea and Japan because they are harder to detect by radar and intercept.

The North conducted its first test of the Hwasal-2 cruise missile in January 2022, five months after it first launched a Hwasal-1 cruise missile. The regime describes both weapons systems as “strategic cruise missiles.”

It then fired multiple Hwasal-1 and -2 cruise missiles last year, claiming that the missiles could be armed with tactical nuclear weapons.

The Hwasal-1 is estimated to have a flight range of approximately 1,500 kilometers (932 miles), while the Hwasal-2 is believed to have a range of about 2,000 kilometers.

A Hwasal-2 cruise missile strikes a target on a rocky outcrop on the western coast of North Korea on Tuesday in this photo released by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Tuesday’s launches marked the North’s third cruise missile salvo within a week.

On Sunday, the regime test-fired Pulhwasal-3-31 “strategic” cruise missiles from an offshore area near Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, where the regime assembles its military-use submarines.

State media referred to the Pulhwasal-3-31 missile by name for the first time on Jan. 25, a day after its first official test-firing.

According to the KCNA, the regime’s Missile General Bureau carried out that test as part of its “regular duty” to “constantly renew weapons systems.”

It remains unclear why the North has ramped up testing of its latest line of cruise missiles, but South Korean military officials have told reporters on condition of anonymity that the quick succession of launches is likely aimed at perfecting the new weapons system in a short period.

Hwasal in Korean means “arrow,” while Pulhwasal means “flaming arrow.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]