North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un supervised test firings of a new multiple rocket launcher system that could potentially enhance its ability to strike targets in South Korea and U.S. military bases there, kimtonghyung reports.
People watch a TV showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, its second weapons test in less than a week.
The launches from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan were North Korea’s second weapons test in less than a week and were seen as a move to keep up pressure on Washington and Seoul amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations. Pyongyang has also expressed anger over planned U.S.-South Korea military drills.
The agency provided no specific descriptions of how the “large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system” performed, but said the test confirmed the system’s technical characteristics and “combat effectiveness.” North Korea’s state media didn’t immediately release images of the test. When asked whether it failed to distinguish between multiple-rocket launchers and ballistic missiles, Kim Joon-rak, an official from the JCS, said Thursday the South Korean and U.S. militaries currently share an assessment that the flight characteristics from Wednesday’s launches were similar to North Korea’s new short-range missiles tested last week. He said further analysis was needed to identify the weapons.
In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, officials from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said North Korea might continue its weapons tests in August, according to lawmaker Lee Eun-jae, who attended. The spy agency believes the North would want to demonstrate its displeasure over the planned U.S.
Since the collapse of a summit between Kim and Trump in February over disagreements in exchanging sanctions relief and disarmament, the North has significantly slowed diplomatic activity with the South while demanding Seoul to break away from Washington and proceed with joint economic projects that have been held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North.
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