North Korea says it tested submarine launched cruise missiles

North Korea said it tested two types of submarine launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday in the sea off its east coast, state media KCNA reported, in a check of navy mission capability and the reliability of its war deterrents.

Why it matters: Submarine launched cruise missiles are the sea based leg of the North's strike force: a working launch capability from below the surface is harder to track and pre empt than land based tests, and it is a stated priority of Kim Jong Un.

Data as of Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Toronto time. The Reuters report of the KCNA announcement was opened and read in full; Deutsche Welle and France 24 carried the same KCNA announcement in the evening feed scan, and Russian and Iranian state outlets reported it as well. The test itself is North Korean state media's account: KCNA gave no missile details, and no independent confirmation of the launch platform appears in the reporting opened, so the performance claims are Pyongyang's.

North Korea said it had tested two types of submarine launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday to verify navy mission capabilities and the reliability of its war deterrents, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, in a report carried by Reuters. Senior military officers observed the tests in the sea off the North’s east coast, and KCNA said the tests had no adverse impact on the security of neighbouring countries, without giving further detail on the missiles or the launch platform.

The North has test launched ballistic and cruise missiles from various platforms, including an ageing submarine, but is not yet believed to have a modern missile submarine in full operation, a capability Reuters noted is a top military priority for Kim Jong Un. Whether Wednesday’s missiles were fired from an operational submarine or a submerged test platform was not stated in the announcement.

North Korea says it tested submarine launched cruise missiles

Sources