North Korea has tested its multiple-warhead missile capability, claiming to have successfully separated and guided individual mobile warheads to three coordinate targets.
In a statement, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “The missile took off from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 5:30 am (2030 GMT), and South Korean and US intelligence agencies were conducting a detailed analysis”.
Japan also confirmed the launch, with the coastguard reporting that the multiple-warhead missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan.
As per the report, the test was carried out by use of the first-stage engine of an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile within a 170-200 km radius. Anti-air radar was also used to verify the efficiency of a decoy, that was separated from the missile.
The test comes after North Korea sent hundreds more trash-carrying balloons southward on Monday and Tuesday, the latest in a string of border barrages that have spurred a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign.
South Korea and the United States also conducted joint air drills Wednesday involving some 30 aircraft, including Washington’s advanced stealth fighter jet, F-22 Raptor.
On Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol paid a visit to a US aircraft carrier that had landed in South Korea over the weekend for joint military drills aimed at countering North Korean threats. The drills, which include Japan, are set to take place later this month.
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