North Korea fired two rockets on Monday from its latest launcher, claiming it is capable of a “tactical nuclear attack” that can take out entire enemy air bases.
It was North Korea’s second weapons launch in 48 hours, after it fired one of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on Saturday, in response to planned US-South Korea military drills.
Japan said the ICBM landed in its exclusive economic zone, and its launch prompted the United States and South Korea to stage joint air drills on Sunday.
Pyongyang said the Korean People’s Army (KPA) conducted the Monday drill in response to those US-South Korean exercises, blaming the allies for the deteriorating security situation, according to a report by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“Through today’s firing drill with the involvement of super-large multiple rocket launchers, the tactical nuclear attack means, the KPA demonstrated its full readiness to deter and will to counter” the joint air drills, KCNA said.
The South Korean military said it detected the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday from 7:00-7:11am (2200-2211 GMT Sunday).
One travelled 390 kilometres and the other 340km before they landed in the East Sea, it said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
It described the launches as “a serious provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean peninsula” and called on North Korea to stop “immediately”.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister warned the country was closely monitoring Washington and Seoul’s moves to deploy more US strategic assets to the region, vowing “corresponding counteraction” if Pyongyang deemed such moves a threat.
“The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the US forces’ action character,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by KCNA.
