North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles: South Korea
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Nampho dockyard, a military shipbuilding base also referred to as Nampo.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its west coast on Feb 2, South Korea’s military said, marking the fourth time in just over a week that Pyongyang has launched such missiles off both the east and west coasts.
The South’s military said the launch took place at 11am, but did not provide further details.
North Korea said on Jan 31 that it had tested “strategic” cruise missiles,
State media reported that the country had tested its new submarine-launched cruise missiles
South Korea’s military has said the North appeared to be testing the missiles to upgrade their capabilities.
The latest launch came after the North said earlier on Feb 2 that Mr Kim inspected a shipyard in the port city of Nampho on the west coast and stressed the importance of a strong naval force in “war preparations”, according to state media.
“Strengthening naval force is the most important issue in pushing ahead with war preparations,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited Mr Kim as saying during his visit to the dockyard, a military shipbuilding base also referred to as Nampo.
Mr Kim was briefed on various warship constructions for a new “huge plan” decided by the North Korean leadership, KCNA said, without elaborating.
KCNA said on Jan 29 that Mr Kim had inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships, but gave no details.
At a major ruling party meeting in 2021, Mr Kim laid out a plan to develop and upgrade the country’s military capabilities, including the construction of nuclear submarines and underwater drones that can mount nuclear attacks.
In recent months, the North has tested an array of weapons, including ballistic missile systems that are under development and an underwater drone
North Korea has accused the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions with large-scale military drills, leaving it with no choice but to step up preparations for a nuclear war.
On Feb 2, the US Special Operations Command said it had completed training with South Korea’s special operations forces. REUTERS
