North Korea tests four cruise missiles | North Korea
Launch of a cruise missile in this undated photo issued February 24, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea has carried out four cruise missile test fires in the sea, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said on Friday, adding that the country has been carrying out four cruise missile tests in the sea. exercise demonstrated “war posture” of Pyongyang's nuclear force.
The four “Hwasal-2” missiles were fired from the vicinity of Kimchaek City, North Hamgyong Province, towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan .
They followed a trajectory of 2000 km before precisely hitting their targets, according to the official agency, which did not specify what were the intended targets.
The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea expressed great satisfaction with the results of the launch exercise, the North Korean media added.
L& #x27;exercise has once again clearly demonstrated the war posture of the nuclear combat force of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea, Ed], strengthening its counterattack capabilities in the face of hostile forces, further specifies the agency.
The launches come after two short-range ballistic missiles were fired on Monday and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 48 hours earlier, which Pyongyang says demonstrates its deadly nuclear counterattack capabilities. p>
According to Japan, the ICBM launched on Saturday flew 66 minutes before diving into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It was Pyongyang's first missile launch in seven weeks.
Thursday's missile tests were in response to joint military exercises between South Korea, Japan and the United States in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.
Images on a TV at a North Korean train station show Saturday's missile launch.
In a statement released on Monday, the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned that Pyongyang would continue to monitor moves by Washington and Seoul to deploy more US strategic assets in the region, promising corresponding countermeasures. at every perceived threat.
The frequency with which the Pacific is used as a firing range depends on the type of action by US forces, she pointed out in a press release issued by KCNA.
Saturday's shooting was strongly condemned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his spokesman said Sunday, urging Pyongyang to stop its provocative actions.
North Korea praised its soldiers for carrying out the sudden-fire exercise on Saturday, but South Korean experts have pointed out that the nine-hour delay between the order and the launch was not not particularly fast.
Kim Yo-jong dismissed these criticisms, describing them as an attempt to underestimate the readiness of Pyongyang's ballistic forces.
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest for several years. In 2022, the North called its status as a nuclear power irreversible, and Kim Jong-un called for exponential growth in the production of armaments, including tactical nuclear weapons.
North Korea conducted several test missile launches in 2022.
