North Korea test-fired two types of cruise missiles from a submarine into the East Sea on Wednesday, its state media reported, amid heightened tensions following a recent landmine explosion near the inter-Korean border. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the launches were part of naval training exercises designed to assess the readiness of the country’s underwater combat systems.

According to KCNA, the missile tests did not pose any threat to the security of neighboring countries. The agency described the launches as demonstrating the “high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK,” using North Korea’s official abbreviation.

Photographs released by KCNA showed one missile emerging vertically from the sea with a thick smoke trail, while another appeared to be launched at a 45-degree angle. Additional images depicted a missile flying horizontally over the water and a submarine navigating on the surface. Experts note that the ability to launch missiles from submarines at different angles has tactical importance. Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification explained that vertical launches enable missiles to gain altitude quickly, potentially increasing their range, whereas angled launches allow missiles to fly at lower altitudes, making them less detectable and harder to intercept.

North Korea has conducted multiple submarine-launched missile tests in recent years, but its full sea-based launch capabilities remain uncertain. Cruise missiles, which are jet-propelled and typically fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, are considered more difficult to track. Developing a credible submarine-launched ballistic missile capability could markedly enhance North Korea’s strategic reach, allowing it to target locations far beyond the Korean Peninsula and maintain a potential second-strike capability in the event of an attack.

The recent missile test comes during a period of intensified weapons demonstrations by both Koreas. Earlier this month, South Korea conducted its first test of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle, while North Korea claimed to have launched an AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile. The two countries remain technically at war, as the Korean conflict concluded with a 1953 armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.