North Korea tests new type of cruise missile, state media says

(NEW YORK) — North Korea launched a test flight for a new type of missile, state media outlets said Thursday.

The test on Wednesday was the first for an under-development strategic cruise missile, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Reports named the weapon as a Pulhwasal-3-31 missile.

“The test fire had no negative effect on the security of the neighboring country and is not connected with the situation of the region,” the Voice of Korea, a national broadcaster, said in an English-language post.

The launch comes amid growing cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan, with the three countries saying they’re sharing real-time updates and analysis on military activity in the region.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday had called for North Korea to “refrain from further provocative, destabilizing actions and return to diplomacy.”

“We are eager to engage in substantive discussions on identifying ways to not just manage military risk but create lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Vedant Patel, a spokesperson, said during a press brefing, “as well as our continued stated goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”