Pyongyang: North Korea has test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, marking the first missile launch since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office last week, as reported by the North's state media on Sunday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the North's Missile Administration carried out the test-fire the previous day as part of plans to enhance national defense capabilities for strategic control against potential adversaries. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) detailed that the missiles successfully hit their targets after flying 1,500 kilometers in elliptical and eight-shaped orbits for durations ranging from 7,507 to 7,511 seconds. The launch reportedly did not compromise the security of neighboring nations.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the missile launch, emphasizing the ongoing perfection of the war deterrence capabilities of the armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Kim stated that DPRK is committed to defending peace and stability through enhanced military strength.

South Korea's military confirmed the missile firing, having detected the launch of multiple cruise missiles from an inland site in North Korea directed toward the Yellow Sea around 4 p.m. on Saturday. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned that intelligence from South Korea and the United States is being analyzed to ascertain detailed specifications of the launch.

Visual evidence from KCNA indicated the use of a cold launch method, commonly associated with submarine and ship-based vertical launching systems. People Power Party Representative Yu Yong-weon, a parliamentary defense committee member, suggested the test is part of North Korea's strategy to bolster tactical nuclear strike capabilities by equipping new warships and submarines with these missiles.

The inland launch site might imply that the missiles are still in a developmental phase. Previously, in January of last year, North Korea tested new submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, named "Pulhwasal-3-31," twice. This has led to speculation on whether the current missiles are an enhancement of last year's version. At that time, the North claimed that two Pulhwasal-3-31 missiles flew for 7,421 and 7,445 seconds, respectively, hitting an island target.