The DPRK has successfully tested strategic sea-to-surface cruise missiles, as reported by state media KCNA on Sunday. The missiles “precisely” struck their targets after traveling along elliptical and figure-eight orbits over a distance of 1,500 kilometers.

The report clarified that the launch did not negatively impact the security of neighboring countries.

Although the exact location of the launch was not specified, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, who supervised the test, emphasized that the nation’s armed forces were “being perfected more thoroughly” by developing advanced weaponry as a deterrent against adversaries.

The big picture

This missile launch marked DPRK's first since US President Donald Trump resumed office on Monday.

US President Donald Trump stated Thursday that he would reach out to the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un again, describing the latter, with whom he had held three previous meetings, as a "smart guy."

During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump established an unusual diplomatic rapport with Kim, not only meeting him but also famously stating that the two had "fallen in love."

However, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged during his confirmation hearing that these efforts failed to achieve a lasting agreement to dismantle the DPRK's nuclear program.

When asked during a Fox News interview aired Thursday if he would contact Kim again, Trump responded, "I will, yeah. He liked me."

The DPRK has consistently justified its pursuit of nuclear weapons as a deterrent against perceived threats from the United States and its allies, including South Korea, which it technically remains at war with, as the 1950-1953 conflict between the two Koreas concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.