North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing of “cutting-edge” hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang’s nuclear forces for war, state media reported Monday, saying “geopolitical crisis” made the test even more urgent in a clear nod to this weekend’s US attack on Venezuela.<\/p>\n
Seoul and Tokyo said Sunday they had detected the launch from near Pyongyang of two ballistic missiles — the country’s first test of the year just hours before South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung headed to Beijing for a summit.<\/p>\n
Lee has said he hopes to use his visit to harness China’s clout over North Korea to improve Seoul’s ties with Pyongyang.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying the test showed “the readiness of the DPRK’s nuclear forces”, referring to North Korea by its official name.<\/p>\n
“Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war,” Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.<\/p>\n
Pyongyang’s activity, he said, was “aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis”.<\/p>\n
Photos shared by state media showed Kim puffing on a cigarette accompanied by top officials as a missile soars into the early morning sky.<\/p>\n
“Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events,” Kim was quoted as saying, a clear reference to Washington’s weekend capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n
The operation represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea’s leadership, which has long feared a so-called “decapitation strike” of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.<\/p>\n
Pyongyang condemned it Sunday as a “serious encroachment of sovereignty” that “clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US”.<\/p>\n
– ‘War deterrent’ –
\nPyongyang has for decades justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington.<\/p>\n
Sunday’s launch “can be interpreted as a message signalling that Pyongyang possesses a war deterrent and nuclear capabilities, unlike Venezuela,” Hong Min, an analyst at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.<\/p>\n
He pointed to state media reports Sunday that Kim had visited a facility involved in making tactical guided weapons.<\/p>\n
This, he said, “demonstrated a capability to launch more precise strikes than existing multiple rocket launchers from various platforms, including air and ground”.<\/p>\n
North Korea’s new weapon system using hypersonic missiles was first tested in October.<\/p>\n
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.<\/p>\n
They have been deployed to deadly effect last year on cities in Ukraine by Russia, with whom North Korea has deepened ties in recent years, and by Iran against Israel.<\/p>\n
ksb-oho\/tc<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Agence France-Presse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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