North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported Sunday, a day after neighbor and rival South Korea detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles from the secretive state.Read this also North Korea fires nearly 10 ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan amid military drill tensionsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the test of the Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MRLS) on Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He described the MRLS as a “very lethal but attractive weapon”.
The exercise involved a dozen 600 mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.KCNA quoted Kim as saying the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies – within a striking range of 420 kilometers (about 260 miles) – a feeling of “unease” and a “deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons.”The rockets struck an island target more than 360 km away in the East Sea off Korea.Kim is accompanied by his daughter and potential heir.Pictures released by state media showed several rockets from large vehicles exploding in the air. Another image shows Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from a distance with a military officer.Xu Ai has long been seen as a potential successor, a perception reinforced by a series of recent high-profile appearances.South Korea condemned the launchSeoul condemned the launches as a “provocative move that violates UN Security Council resolutions” and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such actions.The launch came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-sok said US President Donald Trump believed a meeting with Kim would be “good.”In recent months, the Trump administration has pushed to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, aiming for a potential summit with Kim this year — possibly during Trump’s planned visit to Beijing in late March.After largely ignoring these overtures, Kim recently hinted that the two countries could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.South Korea-US joint exercises The test came after the start of South Korea and the US’s spring military exercises, which are scheduled to last until March 19.The exercises, known as “Freedom Shield”, involve approximately 18,000 South Korean troops.Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong – Kim’s sister and a powerful confidant – warned that the practice could lead to “unimaginably dire consequences.”He also said that the exercise “is taking place at a critical time when the global security architecture is rapidly collapsing and wars are breaking out in different parts of the world.”Pyongyang has also condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression”, calling it evidence of “rogue” behavior by the United States.(with AFP inputs)