North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported on Sunday, a day after neighbour and rival South Korea detected the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles from the secretive state.
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According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw Saturday’s test of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS). He described the MRLS as a “very deadly yet attractive weapon.”
The exercise involved a dozen 600 mm-caliberultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.
KCNA quoted Kim as saying that the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies—within the 420-kilometer (around 260-mile) striking range—a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons."
The rockets struck an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 km away.
Daughter and potential successor accompanies Kim
Photos released by state media showed several rockets blasting into the air from large vehicles. Another image showed Kim and his daughter, Ju Ae, watching the launch from a distance alongside a military official.
Ju Ae has long been viewed as a possible successor, a perception reinforced by a series of recent high-profile appearances.
South Korea condemns launch
Seoul condemned the launches as a “provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions” and urged Pyongyang to halt such actions immediately.
The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated that US President Donald Trump believes a meeting with Kim would be “good.”
In recent months, the Trump administration has pushed to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, aiming for a possible summit with Kim this year—potentially during Trump’s visit to Beijing scheduled for late March.
After largely ignoring these overtures, Kim recently indicated that the two countries could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.
South Korea-US joint drills
The test followed the start of South Korea and US spring military drills, which are scheduled to run until March 19.
Known as “Freedom Shield,” the exercises involve about 18,000 South Korean troops.
Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong—Kim’s sister and a powerful confidante—warned that the drills “may cause unimaginably terrible consequences.”
She also noted that the exercises were taking place “at a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars are breaking out in different parts of the world.”
Pyongyang has also condemned the US–Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression,” describing it as evidence of the United States’ “rogue” behaviour.
(With AFP inputs)
