North Korea tests new long-range cruise missile

North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, state media said on Monday.

The weekend tests saw missiles travelling up to 1,500km (930 miles), the official KCNA news agency said.

It suggests North Korea is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis.

The US military said the latest tests posed threats to the international community, and neighbouring Japan said it had “significant concerns”.

A picture in the North Korean Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile being fired from a launch vehicle, while another could be seen in horizontal flight.

The missiles are “a strategic weapon of great significance”, the KCNA agency said.

It is the country’s first long-range cruise missile that could possibly carry a nuclear warhead, according to North Korea analyst Ankit Panda.

UN Security Council sanctions forbid North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, but not cruise missiles such as these.

The council considers ballistic missiles to be more threatening than cruise missiles because they can carry bigger and more powerful payloads, have a much longer range, and can fly faster.

A ballistic missile is a rocket and follows an arc-like trajectory, while a cruise missile is a jet engine and flies at a lower height.