North Korea Tests Two Types of Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles from Hero Kim Kun Ok

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency reported on 15 October that the Missile Administration test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on 14 October. South Korean military tracking and photographs released by KCNA indicate the launches came from the Hero Kim Kun Ok, the 3,000-ton-class diesel submarine Pyongyang unveiled in September 2023 and described as its first tactical nuclear attack submarine.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said one missile left a vertical launch tube and the other a torpedo tube. KCNA stated the test examined the readiness of underwater combat systems and helped the navy practise strategic missions. It added that the launches had no adverse impact on neighbouring countries. Kim Jong-un did not attend, unlike earlier high-profile tests.

This is the first publicly reported submarine-launched cruise missile test since January 2024, when the Pulhwasal-3-31 was fired from the smaller 8.24 Yongung submarine. One of the missiles tested on 14 October is believed to be a Pulhwasal-3-31 variant; the second appears to belong to a longer-range Hwasal series. Analysts at the Korea Defence and Security Forum said the dual-launch method from a single boat complicates prediction of which tube will fire which weapon.

The Hero Kim Kun Ok was launched with fanfare in 2023. Kim Jong-un said at the ceremony that arming the navy with nuclear weapons could no longer be delayed. Outside experts have questioned the submarine’s operational readiness and whether it can truly carry nuclear-armed missiles. The latest test is the first time the vessel has been shown conducting a missile launch. South Korean analysts described it as part of combat-system trials for eventual deployment.

The test follows two ballistic-missile launches earlier in October and comes amid heightened tensions after a landmine explosion in the Demilitarised Zone that injured South Korean soldiers. North Korea has conducted at least one missile test in every month of 2026 except February. The addition of a submarine platform gives Pyongyang a launch option that is harder to detect and destroy than land-based systems.

U.S. Forces Korea has not issued a public comment on the latest launches. Pacific Command previously noted earlier ballistic tests did not pose an immediate threat. The combination of cruise missiles launched from both vertical and torpedo tubes expands the range of possible attack profiles from a submerged or semi-submerged platform. South Korean and U.S. tracking assets monitored the full flight path from launch through terminal phase.

The 2023 unveiling of the Hero Kim Kun Ok was accompanied by claims that the submarine would carry nuclear weapons. Three years later, the first public missile firings from the boat mark a concrete step toward making that claim operational, even if full nuclear integration remains unconfirmed. The test adds another underwater element to the series of demonstrations North Korea has conducted this autumn.