Daijiworld Media Network - Seoul
Seoul, Mar 15: North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported on Sunday, a day after South Korea detected the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles from the secretive state.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw Saturday’s test of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) and described it as a “very deadly yet attractive weapon.”
The exercise involved a dozen 600 mm calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the drill demonstrated the system’s ability to strike enemies within a 420-kilometre range and gave them a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons.”
The rockets reportedly struck an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 km away.
Photos released by state media showed several rockets being launched from large vehicles. Another image showed Kim watching the launch alongside his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and a military official.
Kim Ju Ae has increasingly appeared at major military and state events and is widely viewed as a possible successor to the North Korean leader.
South Korea 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 said that Donald Trump believed a meeting with Kim Jong Un would be “good.”
In recent months, the Trump administration has been pushing to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, aiming for a possible summit this year, potentially during Trump’s visit to Beijing scheduled for late March.
After largely ignoring these overtures, Kim recently suggested that the two countries could “get along” if Washington accepted North Korea’s nuclear status.
The test also followed the start of joint spring military drills between South Korea and the United States.
Known as Freedom Shield, the exercises involve about 18,000 South Korean troops and are scheduled to continue until March 19.
Earlier this week, Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong warned that the drills could lead to “unimaginably terrible consequences.”
She also said 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 recent US–Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression,” calling it further proof of what it described as the United States’ “rogue” behaviour.