Photos published Sunday by the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun show the country’s leader Kim Jong Un smiling and applauding as he watched the test launch of what the newspaper called a “new tactical weapon.”
The shells were fired from the North Korean region of Hamhung at about 6 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said in a statement on Sunday. The shells flew about 110 kilometers (about 68.3 miles) at an altitude of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), with a maximum speed of Mach 4.0 or lower, the statement said.
On Sunday, North Korean state media KCNA reported that Kim had witnessed the “successful” test firing of a “new type of tactical weapon”.
KCNA claims that the new weapons have strengthened the country’s “long-range artillery units” and increased efficiency “in the operation of (North Korea’s) tactical nuclear weapons and the diversification of their firepower missions.”
Immediately after the launch, the military, intelligence agencies and the South Korean National Security Service held an emergency meeting to assess the situation and discuss countermeasures, according to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has received real-time reports from the National Security Bureau and has ordered relevant government ministries to inspect North Korea’s movement, Moon Pak Kyung-mi’s spokesman said in a statement Sunday.
“We are aware of North Korea’s statement that they have tested a long-range artillery system. We are analyzing all activities in close coordination with our allies and partners, “a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman said in a statement, adding that the United States is” very clear about our commitment to the defense of (South Korea), Japan and the United States. ” .
Duyon Kim, an assistant senior researcher at the Center for New American Security, said North Korea aimed to produce missiles that could evade defense systems, with “features that can fly them under U.S. and South Korean radars.” “.
“These types of missiles are particularly threatening to South Korea and Japan and are weapons that can be used in or even start a conflict,” she said.
Ankit Panda, a senior associate with Stanton at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, added that this was the first time North Korea had “specifically attributed the role of a tactical nuclear weapon to a missile in a test.”
North Korea has stepped up its missile tests this year, including its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in more than four years on March 24, in violation of international law.
In the first four months of 2022 alone, the North conducted 12 tests; by comparison, it conducted only four tests in 2020 and eight in 2021.
The ICBM is reported to be the most feared so far – although missile experts and a South Korean military official later said it may have been a less sophisticated weapon than previously thought.
Duyon Kim said the tests could have several goals: one is a message to the North Korean people that “their country is strong despite their obvious economic difficulties.”
North Korea also has “an internal imperative to produce and refine the types of modern weapons that Kim Jong Un ordered last year,” she said. This year is important for the country because of several important dates – including the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s rule and the 110th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung – one of the most important events in the North Korean calendar.
Lee Sang-hyun, president of the South Korean think tank Sejong Institute, said Kim may be under pressure to “show off his achievements.” April has many of these important dates, providing an opportunity to “show the world about your country’s missile and nuclear capabilities.”
Another reason for the latest tests could be the protest against the joint US-South Korean military exercises to be held this month, experts said.
North Korea has long condemned these joint exercises as a serious threat to its security, accusing the United States of a “hostile policy” toward the country.
Add Comment