Kim Jong-un Oversees North Korea's Cruise Missile Test Amidst US-South Korea Drills
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of strategic cruise missiles, according to state media KCNA, as South Korea and the United States began their annual military drills. The launch aimed to verify the ship's combat function and improve sailors' capability for an attack mission. South Korea's defense ministry detected signs of the launch but called KCNA's claims exaggerated. The missile test coincides with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which Pyongyang denounces as a rehearsal for nuclear war. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized the need for overwhelming force to preserve true peace and warned of immediate and overwhelming retaliation for any provocations. North Korea has been testing strategic cruise missiles, potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads, over the past two years.