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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the testing of new surface-to-sea missiles, as reported by state media, amid commands to enhance military readiness in contentious waters near the South Korean border.

The “Padasuri-6” missiles were tested “successfully,” hitting targets after a 1,400-second flight over the East Sea, showcasing North Korea’s advancing military capabilities. Kim expressed “great satisfaction over the results of the test-fire.”

In a critique of South Korea’s maritime patrols and the enforcement of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), Kim emphasized the need for his military to fortify its presence in the waters north of Yeonpyeong Island and along the western coast of the Korean Peninsula. The NLL, established by the UN Command following the Korean War, has been a longstanding point of contention, with Kim dismissing it as a “ghost line” lacking legal foundation. He added, “It doesn’t matter how many lines exist in [North Korea’s] western sea…if the enemy violates what we consider as our maritime border lines, we will take that as a violation of our sovereignty and an armed provocation.”

This stance comes after Kim’s earlier announcement rejecting the NLL and abandoning the goal of reconciliation with Seoul, further solidifying the divide between North and South Korea. He warned, “if South Korea violates even 0.001 millimetre of our territorial land, air and waters, it will be considered a war provocation.”