June 06, 2023
Analysis

State media highlights test launch of anti-ship missile

North Korea reveals more about its Kh-35 derivative, boasts of deterrent capability

North Korea’s Korean People’s Army Navy conducted a test launch of an anti-ship missile off the country’s east coast in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday.

The test, which likely took place on Friday as most official reports of Kim’s activity are published the next morning, was of an anti-ship missile derived from the Russian-designed Kh-35 Uran. The existence of this missile in the KPA inventory was first revealed in early June of last year in a North Korean military documentary video. Other footage has revealed the presence of launch racks for such a missile on North Korean naval vessels, including the Najin-class frigate as part of an ongoing modernization of these vessels.