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North Korea fired new tactical guided weapon system in another effort to boost its arsenal after testing ‘monster’ nuclear missile last month.
The report comes amid signs North Korea could soon resume nuclear testing according to South Korean and US officials and after Kim broke a self-imposed moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing with a launch last month.
On Saturday, South Korea’s military said it had detected two projectiles launched from the North’s east coast towards the sea, which flew about 68 miles with an apogee of 25 kilometers and maximum speed of under Mach 4, which is roughly 3,070.mph.
‘The new-type tactical guided weapon system…is of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes,’ KCNA said.
North Korea fired new tactical guided weapon system in another effort to boost its arsenal on Saturday
Leader Kim Jong Un attended the launch and was seen celebrating with military men
He held binoculars and pointed out a window as they watched the launch
KCNA did not say when the test took place and gave no details of the missile involved.
Upon guiding the test, Kim ‘gave important instructions on further building up the defense capabilities and nuclear combat forces of the country,’ the KCNA said.
Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the weapon was likely a short-range ballistic missile and the North’s first tactical nuclear weapon delivery system.
On Saturday, South Korea’s military said it had detected two projectiles launched from the North’s east coast towards the sea, which flew about 68 miles with an apogee of 25 kilometers and maximum speed of under Mach 4, which is roughly 3,069mph
The new system reportedly ‘drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes’
North Korea has a domestic imperative to make and perfect weapons ordered by Kim Jong Un despite what the United States does or does not do, and the tests tell people that North Korea is strong, said Duyeon Kim, a North Korea expert at the US-based Center for a New American Security.
One reason for the timing could be to protest anticipated joint US-South Korea military drills, she added
On Saturday, the US 2nd Infantry Division, based in South Korea, shared photos of troops test firing a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), though it was unclear when the drills took place.
The live-fire exercises were to ‘ensure we maintain our readiness here in support of the ROK-US Alliance,’ the division said on Twitter, using the initials of South Korea’s official name.
US and South Korean officials have noted activities at the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which could be preparations for a test, although the timing and nature of such a test were unclear.
North launching an ICBM from an airport near capital Pyongyang in its first long-range test in March. The launch extended a barrage of weapons demonstrations this year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions against its broken economy that has been further damaged by pandemic-related difficulties.
The Hwasong-17, which was fired at a high angle to avoid the territorial waters of neighbors, reached a maximum altitude of 3,880 miles and traveled 680 miles during a 71-minute flight before landing in waters between North Korea and Japan, Pyongyang´s official Korean Central News Agency said.
The agency claimed the test met desired technical objectives and proved the ICBM could be operated quickly during wartime conditions.
North Korea’s launched a huge, new intercontinental ballistic missile state media reported in March
North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 in March, one capable of hitting any part of the continental United States, while its Western rival has been focused on rising tensions with Russia amid the war in Ukraine
The agency paraphrased Kim as saying that his new weapon would make the ‘whole world clearly aware’ of the North’s bolstering nuclear forces.
He vowed for his military to acquire ‘formidable military and technical capabilities unperturbed by any military threat and blackmail and keep themselves fully ready for long-standing confrontation with the US imperialists.’
The South Korean and Japanese militaries had announced similar flight details, which analysts say suggested that the missile could reach targets 9,320 miles away when fired on normal trajectory with a warhead weighing less than a ton.
That would place the entire US mainland within striking distance.
Believed to be about 82 feet long, the Hwasong-17 is the North’s longest-range weapon and, by some estimates, the world’s biggest road-mobile ballistic missile system.
KCNA called the successful test a ‘striking demonstration of great military muscle,’ while Kim said it was a ‘miraculous’ and ‘priceless’ victory by the Korean people.
Officials say Un could conduct another missile test in the coming weeks, according to the Guardian. Satellite technology has reportedly shown activity near Punggye-ri nuclear testing site, which the country said was demolished in 2018.
Us Special Representative Sung Kim is due in Seoul on Monday for a five-day visit to discuss a response to the North’s recent missile launches with his South Korean counterparts.
The United States has said it is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without preconditions, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies, such as sanctions and military drills.
The KCNA report also came shortly after North Korea celebrated the 110th anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il Sung on Friday, one of the biggest annual public holidays in the country, but without a military parade.
Source: dailymail
