North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) oversaw the test-fire of strategic cruise missiles from the naval destroyer Choe Hyon, state-run media reported Wednesday. In the photo, Kim watches the launch via video feed with his daughter Kim Ju Ae. Photo by KCNA/EPA
SEOUL, March 11 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from a naval destroyer, state media reported Wednesday, as the United States and South Korea began a large-scale joint military exercise this week.
The North's Choe Hyon destroyer launched the missiles at island targets in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said, with Kim watching via a video feed. The missiles flew for roughly two hours and fifty minutes before striking their targets, KCNA said.
Pyongyang described the weapons as "strategic," a term it typically uses for systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The launches came days after North Korea conducted a similar cruise missile test from the destroyer ahead of its commissioning.
