North Korea launches railway-borne missiles after US sanctions

Seoul, Jan 15 (EFE).- North Korea said Saturday it launched two railway-borne guided missiles a day ago, the third weapons test in the last nine days that have sparked fresh sanctions from the United States against the reclusive nation.

The state-run Korea Central News Agency said the firing drill to check “the proficiency in the action procedures of the railway-borne missile regiment of North Phyongan Province took place on Friday.”

“The regiment received a firepower mission at short notice from the General Staff in the morning on Friday before swiftly moving to the firing ground, and precisely struck the set target in the East Sea of Korea with two tactical guided missiles.”

KCNA claimed that the combat posture of the railway-borne missile regiment “demonstrated high maneuverability.”

“(The) rate of hits in the drill was highly appreciated in the review and the issues were discussed to set up proper railway-borne missile operating system across the country and to find out ways for further completing our style fighting methods with the railway-borne missiles.”

It is the second known North Korean launch from a train. The first took place in September last year.

The North Korean regime conducted the latest weapons test hours after Pyongyang warned of a “stronger and certain reaction” to new sanctions by the US over its weapons program.

President Joe Biden Wednesday imposed new sanctions after “six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which violated multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions.”

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has indicated that Washington is pressing for the UNSC to impose additional sanctions on North Korea.

The South Korean military had earlier estimated that the North fired the short-range missiles toward the east from a site in North Phyongan Province.

The missiles flew at an altitude of 36 km, covering around 430 km, said the military.

The Japanese government also confirmed that North Korea fired a ballistic missile.

Kyodo news agency said the projectile appeared to have landed in waters outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan into the East Sea.

The train-borne missile launch, supervised by senior military officials, underscores the North Korean determination to diversify its weapons platforms.

It was the third North Korean missile launch this year. On Jan. 5 and 11, the North Korean regime fired what it claimed were hypersonic missiles.

Seoul and Tokyo insist that the projectiles were ballistic missiles, showing good maneuverability. EFE

co-mra/ssk