N. Korea fires 2 short
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows military exercise at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) |
North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the latest in a series of projectile launches even as the country is on high alert against the coronavirus.
Both were fired northeastward from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan at 6:10 a.m. and flew around 230 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 30 km, the JCS said, adding that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing other specifics.
"In a situation where the entire world is experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19, this kind of military act by North Korea is very inappropriate and we call for an immediate halt," JCS said.
The military is closely monitoring the situation while maintaining a readiness posture, it added.
North Korea has carried out a series of weapons tests and artillery firing exercises this year. Except for small artillery firing drills, Sunday's launch is believed to be the North's fourth major weapons test this year.
The last such test came on March 21, when the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles believed to be its version of the U.S.' Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) from its western county of Sonchon in North Pyongan Province.
It is not immediately known if leader Kim Jong-un oversaw Sunday's firing, though the North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) had reported that the three previous tests this month took place under his watch.
Sunday's firing seems to involve a super-large multiple rocket launcher, sources and experts said. If confirmed, it would mark the seventh test of the ground-based, solid-fuel weapon by the communist country so far, and the third launch this year.
During the March 2 test, the North launched two missiles presumably from the multiple rocket launcher from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea. They flew around 240 kilometers on an apogee of 35 kilometers.
Three projectiles of the similar type fired from its eastern town of Sondok on March 9 flew around 200 kilometers and as high as around 50 km, according to JCS.
A series of the tests were believed to have been aimed at enhancing its capabilities by shortening the firing interval of projectiles so as to make them hard to detect and intercept. Their gap, in fact, was greatly shortened over the course of the tests.
Some experts have said the North may have already put the launcher system into operational deployment, which is feared to serve as one of the most effective weapons aiming at its immediate neighbor, South Korea.
Experts and officials say the North's recent military moves appear to be primarily aimed at strengthening his grip on power amid fears of the spread of the COVID-19 virus and economic difficulties caused by the prolonged international sanctions regime.
The North has intensified efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, though the North has said it has not seen any confirmed case yet, a claim doubted by many.
Last week, North Korea revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump had sent a letter to Kim, offering assistance in the fight against the coronavirus. But Pyongyang has not responded to the U.S. offer, according to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The North has also not reacted to the similar offer of inter-Korean cooperation on health issues made by South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier this month, though Kim later sent a letter to Moon to console South Koreans fighting the virus and wish for their good health.
Nuclear talks with the U.S. have been stalled since the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between Kim and Trump in February last year. Since then, the regime has called for boosting self-defense capabilities.
In his New Year's Day message, leader Kim warned he will show off a "new strategic weapon" in the near future, which experts said may mean an advanced type of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or an SLBM. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:行业动态)
相关内容
- Slot extends perfect Liverpool start
- Poll: 82 percent of Trump voters say Biden’s win isn’t legitimate.
- How conspiracy theories like QAnon have discouraged post
- S. Korea poised to push through inter
- Value Judgment
- A global problem is preventing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza from coming to an end.
- Canada's Conners wins Texas Open
- 市政协四届五次会议举行小组建议召集人会议
- New technique rolls out 40 feet of perovskite solar film per minute
- Michael Cohen fights Donald Trump at the Supreme Court.
- There are new tools for Google Password Manager
- How conspiracy theories like QAnon have discouraged post
- 雅安市第四届人民代表大会第六次会议关于接受李伊林辞职请求的决定
推荐文章
-
How to watch 'Kinds of Kindness': When is it streaming?
Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe best streaming deals to watch 'Kinds of Kindness':BEST FOR NEW ...[详细] -
本报讯近日,汉源县花海果乡4A级旅游景区的梨花、观赏性桃花开了,吸引了不少市民游客观赏。出门游玩,垃圾扔放是关键。花海果乡的农家户外墙上张贴着“垃圾分类指导”,分为能卖钱和不能卖钱两大方面,简单明了讲 ...[详细]
-
Napoli want win at Lecce ahead of Milan showdown
MILAN:Napoli travel to Lecce on Friday trying to bounce straight back from their crushing home defea ...[详细] -
Mitch McConnell is cranking out lame
“The federal judiciary held the line.” That is the narrative emerging in the wake of the string of c ...[详细] -
How much for Oasis tickets? Fans joke about splurging on reunion shows
Oasis, one of the biggest bands ever, broke up for 15 years because of a longtime feud between broth ...[详细] -
Canada's Conners wins Texas Open
LOS ANGELES:Corey Conners warmed up for his sixth Masters appearance with a victory in the Texas Ope ...[详细] -
德庆贡柑柑皮加工厂正式投产_南方+_南方plus11月29日,德庆县东璞生态农业有限公司德庆贡柑柑皮加工厂正式投产,走出一条用工业思维发展农业,推动产业化高质量发展之路。德庆县委书记凌云,副县长刘晓林 ...[详细]
-
Reasons to Upgrade Your Laptop (That Go Beyond a Performance Upgrade)
It used to be that buying a new laptop every few years was more or less necessary just to keep up wi ...[详细] -
How to trademark your TikTok phrase and protect your brand
So, you had a video go viral and it had a very specific phrase, like "Hawk Tuah on that thang" or "v ...[详细] -
America is attempting to exit an abusive relationship with Donald Trump.
On Saturday, members of the pro-Trump white supremacist group the Proud Boys descended on Washington ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
- Cyrix: Gone But Not Forgotten
- Poll: 82 percent of Trump voters say Biden’s win isn’t legitimate.
- Testing AMD's new Radeon Anti
- LIV golfers get warm welcome from PGA rivals at Masters
- [From the Scene] How ‘world’s first oil town’ is wrestling to become ‘green'
- Spotify's TikTok
- 'Succession's' Kendall Roy is now a mascot for teen girls