North Korea’s Kim oversees delivery of new tactical ballistic missile launchers

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the delivery of 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers to frontier troops, state media KCNA reported on Aug 5, which Seoul said Mr Kim would use to threaten South Korea.

The launchers have been described by state media as a modern tactical attack weapon personally designed by Mr Kim and ready to be transferred to Korean People’s Army (KPA) units on the frontier with the South.

North Korea said it test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile in July.

“We believe (the missile launchers) are intended to be used in various ways, such as to attack or threaten South Korea... Deploying near the border would mean that the range is not long,” South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Lee Sung-joon told a media briefing.

In a speech, Mr Kim blamed the United States for creating a “nuclear-based military block” that forced his country to further strengthen military capabilities.

North Korea has long condemned joint drills between the US and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion.

A spokesperson for Seoul’s Unification Ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile programmes were the primary threat to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang will have enhanced nuclear readiness in the near future to deter nuclear threats and protect itself, Mr Kim was quoted as saying in the speech to troops and military scientists.

Mr Kim’s daughter, Ms Kim Ju Ae, attended the event, KCNA photos showed, making her first public appearance in nearly three months. South Korean lawmakers said in July that she was being trained to become the next leader.

North Korea’s state media has reported on her public activities, but not on her political future. REUTERS