Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, saw a series of missile tests that replicated the destruction of an adversary airfield while urging the military to step up training for “real war” scenarios.
State media additionally featured Kim’s little daughter watching the Thursday night performance while she was seated on a sofa, according to reports.
Six short-range ballistic missile launch vehicles, each capable of carrying four missiles, were used in the test, according to images published in the state-run daily Rodong Sinmun on Friday, according to NK News, an online publication that specialises in North Korea. Down a forested coastline, the launchers were arranged in a row.
The military of South Korea reported on Thursday night at around 6.20 p.m. that it had observed “multiple rounds of SRBMs fired from the same region” from North Korea’s west coast (09:20 GMT).
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said a unit trained for “strike operations” fired a “powerful volley at the targeted waters” and displayed its capability to “counter a genuine war”.
According to KCNA, “(Kim) underlined that the fire assault sub-units should be strictly prepared for the highest perfection in carrying out the two strategic tasks, namely, to avert war and second, to take the initiative in war, by continuously expanding various simulated drills for real war.
The most recent launches occur just days before the start of the massive joint military exercises, known as Freedom Shield, between the United States and South Korea. Freedom Shield was last conducted in 2018. All military exercises involving the two nations have long been regarded by Pyongyang as invasion drills.
As the drills are ongoing, many predict Pyongyang would step its testing. The start of Freedom Shield on March 13 is anticipated to endure for 10 days.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said in email comments that this was probably just the first of a series of provocative tests by North Korea.
Pyongyang is prepared to react forcefully to significant defence drills between the United States and South Korea as well as to President Yoon’s impending summits with Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden. The Kim dictatorship might direct the launch of longer-range missiles, try to launch a spy satellite, show off a solid-fuel engine, or even test a nuclear weapon.
As diplomatic efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes failed in 2019, the country has intensified its development of weapons.
Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea, assumed office last year. Since then, he has adopted a more hawkish stance towards Pyongyang and taken steps to strengthen diplomatic ties and security cooperation with the US and Japan.
Next week, Yoon is scheduled to visit Japan, and on April 26, he will make a state visit to the US where he will meet President Joe Biden.
Last year, Pyongyang approved an escalatory nuclear strategy that permits the deployment of preemptive nuclear strikes in a variety of circumstances when it may feel threatened in terms of its leadership.
Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s sister, issued a warning that any attempt to shoot down one of its test rockets would be viewed as an act of war.
With recent test launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile, short-range missiles, and what appears to be a long-range cruise missile system, North Korea has continued its missile testing into 2023 after setting a record for the number of tests it performed in 2018.
In September 2017, it conducted its most recent nuclear test.
