Kim Jong-un was on the scene and “expressed great satisfaction with the results.” Last week, the North Korean leader called for an increase in the number of nuclear weapons.
North Korea said Thursday it has test-fired a new long-range cruise missile and a short-range ballistic missile equipped with a 4.5-ton warhead.
“The test-firing was aimed at checking the accuracy of hitting a target at an average distance of 320 kilometres as well as the explosive power of the large warhead,” North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported.
The short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), launched on Wednesday, was a Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5, a type of projectile first tested by the Pyongyang regime on July 2.
North Korea “also test-fired a strategic cruise missile whose performance has been improved for combat use,” KCNA said, without adding further details.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “supervised both test launches” and “expressed great satisfaction with the results”said.
Kim said “such tests and the improvement in the performance of these weapons and equipment are directly related to the threat from external forces to the security environment of the state” of North Korea, KCNA added.
On Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected that the North fired several short-range ballistic missiles from north of the capital and that the projectiles flew toward the northeast.
On Thursday morning (local time), the JCS indicated that ballistic and cruise missiles fired from North Pyongyang must have fallen in the mountainous region of northeastern North Korea.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said it had detected at least two launches.
North Korea announced on September 12 that it had tested 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers, described by the regime as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads.
The next day, Pyongyang released images of uranium enrichment facilities during a visit by Kim Jong Unwhich He called for an increase in the number of nuclear weapons..
Kim “stressed the need to further increase the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase nuclear weapons for self-defense,” KCNA said.
It was the first time Pyongyang had released images of a uranium enrichment facility since 2010.
Two weeks ago, North Korea resumed the practice of launching balloons filled with garbage toward South Korea. Pyongyang has sent nearly 5,000 balloons to the South since May.
Seoul says North Korea launched more garbage balloons towards South Korea
Since 2022, North Korea has significantly accelerated weapons testing.
Experts have pointed to a link with North Korea’s alleged supply of munitions and missiles to Russia against Ukraine, a Western accusation that the Pyongyang regime has denied.
Source: Observadora
