The Press Association

During a news broadcast at the Seoul Railway Station in South Korea on April 22, 2024, a TV screen displays a file image of a North Korean missile launch. The South Korean military reported that North Korea had fired several short-range ballistic missiles at its eastern waters on Monday.

Ahn Young-joon/AP
South Korea’s SEOUL According to state media on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw salvo launches of the nation’s “super-large” multiple rocket launchers, simulating a nuclear counterattack against adversary sites. These tests and threats have heightened tensions in the area.

The official Korean Central News Agency report from North Korea was released one day following the South Korean and Japanese forces learned that Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, was launching what they believed to be several short-range ballistic missiles into the country’s eastern seas.

Because they can generate their own momentum and are guided during delivery, analysts claim that North Korea’s massive artillery rockets blur the line between artillery weapons and ballistic missiles. Tactical nuclear warheads can be delivered by some of these systems, according to the North, which includes the 600mm multiple rocket launchers demonstrated on Monday.

According to KCNA, the nation’s nuclear-weapons management and control system, known as “Haekbangashoe,” or “nuclear trigger,” was first shown with the launches on Monday. According to the article, the simulation was conducted in response to rising tensions between North Korea and the United States in order to demonstrate the power and variety of assault options available to it.

States and South Korea were depicted as “warmongers” who inflamed tensions in the area by conducting joint military drills.

In its most recent weaponry test, North Korea launches short-range missiles into the sea.
Southeast Asia
In its most recent weaponry test, North Korea launches short-range missiles into the sea.
Kim saw from an observation station as at least four rockets were blasted from launch vehicles in images released by the state media. The practice confirmed the dependability of the “system of command, management, control and operation of the whole nuclear force,” according to the statement. The rockets traveled 352 kilometers (218 miles) before precisely striking an island target.

According to KCNA, Kim voiced his satisfaction, comparing the accuracy of the multiple rocket launchers to that of a “sniper’s rifle.”

He claimed that the exercise was essential to “preparing our nuclear force to be able to rapidly and correctly carry out their important mission of deterring a war and taking the initiative in a war in any time and any sudden situation.” The remarks were in line with North Korea’s escalatory nuclear strategy, which gives the armed forces permission to strike adversaries with nuclear weapons before they have a chance to threaten the country’s leadership.

 

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The warheads from Monday’s launches, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, traveled for roughly 300 kilometers (185 miles) before crashing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The weaponry would probably target locations in South Korea, based on the ranges. The most recent launches coincided with a two-week simultaneous aerial exercise between the United States and South Korea that runs through Friday with the goal of honing their reaction skills against dangers from North Korea.

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The spokeswoman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea, Lee Sung Joon, responded to questions over North Korean claims by saying it’s still unknown if the North has mastered the designs for small, tactical nuclear bombs that could fit on its rockets. Without going into detail about South Korea’s specific missile defense capabilities, he maintained that the North was probably misrepresenting the precision of its numerous rocket launcher systems and that the country would be able to identify and intercept such missiles.

Lee speculated that the North might have tested the numerous rocket systems during the practice.

launchers that it may decide to sell to Russia as both nations increase their military cooperation in response to distinct, more intense conflicts with the US. North Korea is alleged by the United States and South Korea to have transferred artillery shells, missiles, and other armaments to Russia in order to support Russia’s military effort in Ukraine.

In recent months, North Korea has continued to escalate its nuclear tests as it builds up its military might while diplomacy with the US and South Korea has stagnated. Kim wants to eventually exert pressure on the US to acknowledge the North as a nuclear power and to negotiate security and economic concessions from a position of strength, according to outside officials and analysts.

In reaction to the North Korean The US, South Korea, and Japan have been stepping up their bilateral and trilateral military drills in response to changing nuclear threats. Additionally, the nations are honing their nuclear deterrence plans, which are based on vital US assets.

Ballistic missiles fired by North Korea are believed to be able to reach far-off US sites.
Southeast Asia
Ballistic missiles fired by North Korea are believed to be able to reach far-off US sites.
North Korea has previously conducted nuclear-capable missile tests that were intended to target locations in South Korea, Japan, and the United States mainland. Many experts claim that although North Korea has not yet developed functional intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland United States, it does, in fact, already have nuclear missiles capable of reaching all of South Korea and Japan.

Days after North Korea declared, the most recent launches occurred.

It conducted tests on Saturday of a new anti-aircraft missile and a “super-large” cruise missile warhead earlier this week in a western coastal area. Additionally, North Korea conducted a test launch of an alleged solid-fuel intermediate-range missile with hypersonic warhead capabilities in early April. According to experts, this weapon is designed to strike distant targets in the Guam region of the U.S. Pacific and beyond.