South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday that the DPRK fired off three ballistic missiles, which are believed to have been a Scud-C type, from the western region of Hwangju in North Hwanghae province between 5:45 a.m. and 6:05 a.m. Seoul time.
Advertisement
“The drill was conducted by limiting the firing range under the simulated conditions of making pre-emptive strikes at ports and airfields in the operational theater in South Korea, where the USA imperialists nuclear war hardware is to be hurled”, North Korea said in an English dispatch carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea said Wednesday its latest ballistic missile tests were personally ordered and monitored by supreme leader Kim Jong-un and simulated nuclear strikes on USA bases in South Korea.
The tests “examined the operational features of the detonating devices of nuclear warheads mounted on the ballistic rockets at the designated altitude over the target area”, it said.
“The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launches from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America”, a statement from the USA military said.
In recent weeks, North Korea has increased the threat of preemptive nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.
It didn’t appear to deter North Korea however – in June, the country fired two Musudan intermediate-range missiles from their eastern coast, one of which they announced had been a successful test.
Two Scud missiles traveled between 500 and 600 kilometers in the direction of the Sea of Japan.
In response to North Korea’s provocations this year – January’s nuclear test and the steady stream of missiles that have followed it – South Korea has agreed to host a sophisticated anti-missile system, despite the strong objections of China, a key trading partner.
Last Monday North Korea warned of a “physical response” to the THAAD deployment once the battery’s location has been determined.
North Korea-US tensions had already been stoked by Pyongyang’s fury at Washington’s decision to personally target leader Kim with sanctions related to human rights abuses.
It isn’t North Korea’s first missile test this month – on July 9, a ballistic missile was sacked from a submarine off the country’s east coast, which shortly afterward fell into the water.
Those two missiles achieved a significant increase in flight distance over previous failed launches and were believed to be of a much-hyped, intermediate-range “Musudan” – theoretically capable of reaching United States bases as far away as Guam.
“Nevertheless, it is clear that North Korea is ensuring that the facility is in a state of readiness that would allow the conduct of future nuclear tests should the order come from Pyongyang”, it added.
Advertisement
While some experts say the claims are exaggerated, most acknowledge that the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes have made significant strides.
