North Korea tests cruise missiles following South Korean hypersonic weapon launch

North Korea announced on Wednesday that it tested two types of submarine-launched cruise missiles off its east coast, DW reported. The launch followed a South Korean military test days earlier as both nations advance their high-speed missile capabilities. [1]

According to DW, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a new defense industry museum on Tuesday. The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim inspected an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental United States. [1]

The events follow a series of rapid weapon tests across the peninsula. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung observed the test launch of the first domestically developed hypersonic missile in his country. That launch came five days after North Korea announced its own test of a hypersonic weapon on October 3, according to DW. [1]

The Korean Peninsula has remained politically divided into North Korea and South Korea near the 38th parallel since the end of World War II in 1945. Both countries declared independence in 1948 and fought the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. [3]