North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile as Pyongyang continues testing its hypersonic weapons and strengthening what it describes as its nuclear war deterrent. The missile was launched from eastern North Korea at dawn on Saturday, October 3, and struck a designated target about 1,000 kilometres away in waters off the country’s east coast, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA said the drill was intended to train missile troops operating the country’s “hypersonic strategic weapon system” and assess the reliability, efficiency and mobility of North Korea’s war deterrent.
South Korea’s military provided a different estimate of the missile’s flight, saying it detected the launch from the Wonsan area and tracked the projectile travelling more than 700 kilometres toward the sea. Kim Jong Un personally observed the exercise and called for further development of North Korea’s strategic weapons. North Korean state media photographs showed Kim observing the launch alongside his daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and a senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party, had disclosed the missile test less than 12 hours after the launch. She claimed that South Korean and Japanese authorities had failed to fully track the missile’s trajectory because of limitations in their monitoring capabilities. South Korea, however, rejected that assertion, maintaining that its surveillance systems had accurately tracked the missile.
The launch comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers. Seoul has blamed North Korea for planting the mines and demanded an apology. Pyongyang has rejected the accusation that it deliberately planted mines targeting South Korean troops.
North Korea has conducted more than 10 missile tests so far this year as it continues developing a range of strategic weapons, including hypersonic systems designed to travel at high speeds while manoeuvring during flight. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
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