North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets scientists and technicians in the field of research into nuclear weapons in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 9, 2016.
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Although the Scud missile has a maximum range of 430 miles while the Rodong missile is capable of traveling up to 800 miles, North Korea reportedly tested the missile within a limited range. Two of the missiles flew between five hundred and six hundred kilometers before falling into the East Sea.
“Kim Jong Un expressed great satisfaction over the successful drill”, the KCNA statement said, and he praised the soldiers for being “fully ready to carry out any order issued all of a sudden”.
Referring to missiles test fired, two Scud missiles and one intermediate-range ballistic missile Rodong on July 19, North Korea on July 20 stated that it conducted missile test that simulated a preemptive strike against South Korea and its airfields used by the United States for military purposes. While some experts say the claims are exaggerated, most acknowledge that the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes have made significant strides.
South Korea said it was again in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban the North’s use of ballistic missile technology.
“But it’s a reminder that they are continuing to pursue nuclear warhead development, and that itself is an escalation of risks for us”, Yang UK, senior researcher at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and an adviser to the South Korean naval forces, reported Reuters.
“North Korea not only conducted its nuclear test but also has been continuously launching ballistic missiles (this year), which was a rare phenomenon in the past”.
Lee Chun-geun, a scientist at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the North Korean missiles were believed to be carrying warheads, which contain trigger devices but not plutonium or uranium, to see whether those warheads could detonate properly.
Tensions have been rising since Pyongyang conducted its fourth underground nuclear test in January, followed a month later by a long-range rocket launch.
“The U.S. should go back home, abandoning its wicked intention for permanent stay in South Korea”, a North Korean army spokesman was quoted as saying by KCNA in a separate report.
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In response to South Korean concerns about the environmental impact of THAAD in Guam, Bordallo said she believes there was little to no impact to the environment based on the current location of the THAAD system.
