Last Updated: March 27, 2023, 05:38 IST
Last 12 months, Kim Jong Un’s regime declared North Korea an irreversible nuclear energy and vowed to exponentially enhance weapons manufacturing. (Photo Credit: Reuters)
Japan’s defence ministry additionally mentioned “a suspected ballistic missile has been fired”, with its coast guard saying the weapon was believed to have already fallen
North Korea fired a minimum of one unidentified ballistic missile Monday, South Korea’s army mentioned, the newest in its flurry of weapons exams in latest weeks.
“North Korea fires an unidentified ballistic missile in direction of the East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
Japan’s defence ministry also said “a suspected ballistic missile has been fired”, with its coast guard saying the weapon was believed to have already fallen.
The launch comes as Seoul and Washington are finishing up a joint amphibious touchdown train, simply days after wrapping up their largest mixed army drills in 5 years Thursday.
Pyongyang views all such workout routines as rehearsals for invasion and on Friday claimed the latest drills, dubbed Freedom Shield, have been apply for “occupying” North Korea.
Pyongyang carried out military drills of its own in response, including test-firing a new nuclear-capable underwater drone and conducting its second intercontinental ballistic missile launch this year.
Analysts previously said North Korea would likely use the drills as an excuse to carry out more missile launches and perhaps even a nuclear test
North Korea’s state media said Friday the “underwater nuclear attack drone” drill, which was personally overseen by chief Kim Jong Un, was staged “to alert the enemy to an precise nuclear disaster”.
The weapon’s mission is to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami … to destroy naval striker groups and major operational ports of the enemy,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.
The company additionally mentioned Pyongyang had fired strategic cruise missiles “tipped with a take a look at warhead simulating a nuclear warhead” on Wednesday.
‘Irreversible’ nuclear power
Analysts questioned North Korea’s claims, saying that they were not the same as a credible demonstration of capability.
But they added that Pyongyang was moving on from simply stockpiling nuclear warheads and attempting to advance and diversify launch mediums.
After a record-breaking year of weapons tests and growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang in 2022, Seoul and Washington have ramped up security cooperation.
It has also pushed South Korea and Japan to mend fences over historical disputes and try to boost security cooperation.
North Korea last year declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear energy and Kim lately known as for an “exponential” increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons.
Kim also ordered the North Korean military this month to intensify drills to prepare for a “real war”.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)
