North Korea says 18-missile salvo was warning to South Korea
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing drill of multiple rocket launchers on May 30, KCNA reported.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korea said on May 31 it had fired 18 short-range ballistic missiles during a drill as a demonstration of its willingness to launch a pre-emptive strike against South Korea’s “gangsters’ regime” if necessary to counter an attack.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing drill of the 600mm “super-large” multiple rocket launchers on May 30, state news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
South Korea said it had detected at least 10 short-range ballistic missiles fired by North Korea off its east coast, calling it a possible display for would-be weapons buyers, including Russia.
The launch, following the firing of tactical ballistic missiles and a failed satellite launch in May, was a clear act of provocation that threatens peace on the Korean peninsula, deputy spokesperson for Seoul’s unification ministry Kim In-ae told a briefing.
Artillery troops successfully hit the target of an island about 365km away as Mr Kim Jong Un oversaw the demonstration at the launch site, KCNA reported.
Photos published by the state media showed 18 missiles, identified by experts as KN-25s, rising into the air from mobile launchers.
First tested in 2019, the “super-large” rocket blurs the distinction between multiple-launch rocket systems and short-range ballistic missiles, according to US think-tank Centre for International and Strategic Studies.
North Korea has said a tactical nuclear weapon could be fitted to such missiles. Mr Kim Jong Un urged the country’s nuclear forces to be ready to carry out the mission of war deterrence and take the initiative in case of war, KCNA said.
“Showers of fire for annihilation” during the drill showed North Korea’s will to defend its sovereignty and react against the enemy, KCNA said in another report.
The drill included the use of a recently unveiled fire-control system that is part of the government’s combined nuclear weapons management system, the Korean state news agency said.
The US State Department condemned the May 30 launch using ballistic missile technology as reckless and violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
The US Defence Intelligence Agency said analysis of debris imagery confirmed Russia has fielded North Korean missiles in its war in Ukraine, according to a report summary.
Russia and North Korea have denied arms deals, which would violate UN embargoes on Pyongyang, but have vowed to deepen cooperation in all sectors.
A column carried by KCNA criticised the deployment of US RC-135U reconnaissance aircraft from Japan to the Korean peninsula on May 29, saying the aircraft and other reconnaissance assets by South Korea and the US infringed on North Korea’s sovereignty.
South Korean media reported that a US military spy plane had flown above the Seoul metropolitan area and waters off the west coast this week, citing flight trackers.
On May 29, North Korea sent hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure
