North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday.
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Seoul’s allies, Ward noted, are undoubtedly monitoring the evolving situation between South and North Korea to see what type of support they might be called upon to provide to South Korea.
North Korea is also livid about stepped-up United Nations sanctions adopted last week following its recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the missile launches again violated a series of UNSC resolutions and it would refer the matter to the Council sanctions committee mandated to enforce the resolutions.
The latest missile launches come after Kim on Wednesday said the North had developed miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be place on missiles.
North Korea on Thursday nullified all agreements on economic cooperation and exchanges with South Korea.
The reclusive state yesterday also declared all cross-border economic agreements null and void and voiced intentions to sell off assets left behind by South Korean companies in shuttered joint projects.
North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
South Korea is also set to impose even tougher sanctions on its neighbor to the north next week, which would include banning all ships that have previously docked at any port in the DPRK from entering South Korean ports.
Kim praised the country’s nuclear scientists for mastering the miniaturisation technique, which would allow warheads to be fitted onto ballistic missiles and create a “true” nuclear deterrent.
He has reportedly called for his forces to be on standby to mount pre-emptive attacks against South Korea and the USA – and be prepared to use nuclear weapons. He said it was obviously a model because Kim and others would not stand near an actual device because of concerns about radioactivity.
Quoting military sources in the South, Yonhap said the missiles had flown approximately 500 kilometers (300 miles) before falling into the water.
Pyongyang’s claims that it has miniaturized nuclear warheads comes after the North reported a successful test of what it said was a hydrogen bomb in February.
North Korea is being hit with a new round of sanctions in response to its nuclear test and ballistic missile launches. The KN-08, which North Korea showed off in 2012, is said to be capable of being launched from a road-mobile vehicle, which would make it hard to monitor via satellite.
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