North Korea says it tested ‘accuracy’ of two tactical guided missiles
Seoul, Jan 18 (EFE).- North Korea reported Tuesday that it tested two guided tactical projectiles to “verify the accuracy of this weapon systems,” in what is already its fourth show of force in two weeks.
According to state agency KCNA, the missiles were launched Monday from the western part of the country and “precisely hit an island target” in the Sea of Japan, confirming the “accuracy, safety and efficiency” of this type of weaponry.
The test was carried out to verify this type of tactical guided missiles, which are in production, according to KCNA.
A photo published by the North Korean state agency shows the launch of one of the missiles and the country’s leader Kim Jong-un didn’t attend the test.
The missiles launched could be a North Korean version of the United States Army Tactical Missile System, known as KN-24, whose complicated trajectory manages to evade interception, according to details of analyzes collected by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The South Korean army detected the launch of two apparently short-range ballistic missiles Monday and said they were fired from the Sunan airport area, in Pyongyang, located on the western fringe of the country.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the projectiles flew about 380 kilometers at an altitude of 42 kilometers, in four minutes.
Monday’s test came after North Korea fired what it says are hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11, and launched two short-range guided missiles from a train on Friday, hours after threatening to respond to new US sanctions.
The disinterest shown by Pyongyang toward dialogue, the renewed US willingness to tighten sanctions and the four North Korean weapons tests that have taken place in just over two weeks echo the tensions that exist between the two countries since 2017.
The North Korean escalation and the unorthodox style of then US President Donald Trump later produced summits between Trump himself and Kim that lowered tensions, which persist since denuclearization negotiations stalled in 2019. EFE
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