North Korea conducted one of its periodical saber-rattling cruise missile tests on Wednesday, launching two missiles from its west coast under the supervision of dictator Kim Jong-un.
North Korean state media implied the missiles were capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and Kim said the test was part of achieving “full preparedness” for nuclear war.
North Korea’s KCNA news agency said Friday the test was intended to “warn enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment,” that Pyongyang’s “various nuke operation means” are ready for war.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the Kim regime’s preferred name for itself.
KCNA claimed both missiles “precisely hit their targets” after covering 986 miles in about 130 minutes.
“Expressing satisfaction over the result of the launching drill, Kim Jong-un said it is a responsible exercise of the DPRK’s war deterrence to continuously test the reliability and operation of the components of its nuclear deterrence and demonstrate their might,” KCNA said.
According to his state media, Kim said the missile test demonstrated North Korea has “the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity.”
It is the responsible mission and duty of the DPRK’s nuclear armed forces to permanently defend the national sovereignty and security with the reliable nuclear shield by getting more thorough battle readiness of nuclear force and full preparedness for their use,” he declared.
South Korean intelligence agencies noted that Kim’s media described the missiles as “strategic,” which is code for nuclear-capable.
“Our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities under the firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, so that North Korea does not misjudge the current security situation,” the South Korean military said Friday.
South Korean defense officials confirmed the missile launch took place, but made no comment about the accuracy of the weapons or if they were truly capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
South Korea’s Yonhap News speculated North Korea’s missile launch, and Kim’s rhetoric about preparing for nuclear war, were irritable gestures ahead of Operation Freedom Shield, the annual U.S.-South Korean training exercise. North Korea furiously denounces all such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion, or possibly even cloaked attempts to launch an actual invasion.
South Korea’s presidential office said Tuesday that Freedom Shield “will be carried out as usual” this year, despite threatening behavior from North Korea. The exercise was suspended in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang in his first term, and resumed in 2022 under President Joe Biden.
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