On Saturday, North Korea confirmed that it tested a tactical ballistic missile, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to strengthen the country’s nuclear force.
According to the report, Kim oversaw the Friday test-fire into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, to examine the accuracy and reliability of a new autonomous navigation system. Kim expressed great satisfaction with the test.
The South Korean authorities reported the launch Friday, claiming that the North had fired multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles.
Seoul reported the incident as several flying objects presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles launched from North Korea’s eastern Wonsan area into waters off its coast.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul stated, “The missiles travelled approximately 300 kilometres (186 miles)”.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul went on to say that the military had strengthened vigilance and surveillance in preparation for additional launches and was sharing information with allies Washington and Tokyo.
The launch was the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated tests by North Korea, which has recently launched cruise missiles, tactical rockets and hypersonic weapons in what the nuclear-armed country claims is a drive to strengthen its defences.
Seoul and Washington have accused North Korea of shipping arms to Russia, which would breach rafts of UN sanctions on both nations.
The launches came only hours after Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong accused South Korea and the United States of misleading public opinion on the matter by repeatedly accusing Pyongyang of providing weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
