SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea said yesterday leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of a “newly developed super-large multiple rocket launcher,” another demonstration of its expanding weapons arsenal apparently aimed at increasing its leverage ahead of a possible resumption of nuclear talks with the US.
The North’s Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s weapons test was successful and cited Kim as saying the rocket launcher is “indeed a great weapon.”
Kim underscored the need to “continue to step up the development of Korean-style strategic and tactical weapons for resolutely frustrating the ever-mounting military threats and pressure offensive of the hostile forces,” according to the KCNA.
The “hostile forces” likely referred to the United States and South Korea, whose recently ended regular military drills infuriated North Korea. The North has called the drills an invasion rehearsal and conducted a slew of missile and rocket tests in response.
Some experts said North Korea aims to show off its weapons to try to get an upper hand ahead of a possible restart of nuclear negotiations, which remain largely stalemated since the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim in Vietnam in February fell apart due to squabbling over US-led sanctions on North Korea. The two leaders met again at the Korean border in late June and agreed to resume talks.
Trump downplayed the latest launch, saying “Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me. He likes testing missiles but we never restricted short-range missiles. We’ll see what happens.”
South Korea’s military said North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Saturday morning and that they flew about 380 kilometers at the maximum altitude of 97 kilometers. It was the seventh known weapons test by North Korea in about a month.
Meanwhile, South Korea yesterday began two days of war games to practise defending disputed islands off its east coast against an unlikely attack from Japan, further stoking tensions between the Asian neighbors.
The annual drills come just days after Seoul terminated a military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, with the countries at loggerheads over Japan’s use of forced labor during World War II.
The two-day exercise will involve warships and aircraft, the South Korean navy said in a text message without providing more detail.
The drill – renamed “East Sea territory defense training” – will solidify the military’s resolve to defend the Dokdo islands and the area surrounding the Sea of Japan, the navy said.
While a Japanese attack is deemed highly unlikely, South Korea first staged the drills in 1986 and has conducted them twice a year – usually in June and December.
