The projectiles were launched from a site near the north eastern city of Hamhung and flew about 200km before landing in waters off North Korea’s east coast.
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Last week, Kim instructed the country’s military to prepare for conducting new nuclear and missile tests to protect the country against the alleged threat from the United States, despite the sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council (UNSC) against Pyongyang.
North Korea has denounced the largest ever military drills by the US and South Korea a “thrice-cursed provocation”, which Pyongyang sees as rehearsal for an invasion.
“We view this as North Korea’s attempt to showcase its progress in nuclear and missile developments domestically and internationally”, said South Korean defence ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun.
The North’s test appears meant to use solid propellants for missiles with a range of 400-500 kilometers (250-310 miles) that can place entire South Korea in its striking range, and Pyongyang will likely try to do the same on medium- and long-range missiles, according to analyst Chae Yeon-seok at South Korea’s state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
The North said last week it had conducted a successful simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile, and would soon test ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The claim, if confirmed, could mean the North was continuing to work on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programme at a rapid pace, in defiance of United Nations sanctions that ban such activities. At the moment, the South Korean military is monitoring the situation closely ensuring that they are also at full alert.
North Korea has responded by dropping its own leaflets over the border, attacking South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. In a separate development, US and South Korean officials met Monday to discuss how to implement new sanctions against Pyongyang for carrying out a nuclear test in January.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Ministry of Defense (MND) speculated the rockets were MRLS with a 300mm caliber, at a regular press briefing on Tuesday.
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The massive drills – which include air strike exercises targeting key facilities in the North – are a “thrice-cursed provocation” against North Korea’s leadership, the CPRK said, according to the KCNA news agency.
