Published: 13:27, March 11, 2026 | Updated: 13:44, March 11, 2026
DPRK destroyer test-fires strategic cruise missiles
By Xinhua

This picture taken on March 10, 2026 and released by Democratic People's Republic of Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on March 11, 2026 shows a strategic cruise missile test launch conducted on the destroyer Choe Hyon at an undisclosed location in DPRK. (PHOTO/ KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

PYONGYANG - A destroyer of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) test-fired strategic cruise missiles on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

With the country's top leader observing the event on TV, the test-fire was conducted by the Destroyer Choe Hyon of the Navy of the Korean People's Army amid the continued tests of operational efficiency of the advanced warship, the report said.

Multiple cruise missiles flew along the flight orbit over waters off the country's west coast before hitting island targets, it said.

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Depicting it as a very important strategic task to maintain and expand a reliable nuclear war deterrent, Kim Jong-un, the top DPRK leader, said that offensive weapon systems undergoing constant development constitute an indispensable factor for the DPRK's self-defense.

Destroyer Choe Hyon is the lead ship of the DPRK's 5,000-ton new-generation multi-mission Choe Hyon-class attack destroyers.