The latest launch is likely to be a “test of weapons used in Ukraine for exports to Russia,” experts say.
According to state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong state oversaw the country’s latest anti-aircraft missile system test burning as the Russian security chief arrived in Pyongyang for talks.
Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that the new weapon has proven to be “very reliable” in its latest tests, adding that the country’s combat response is “advantageous.”
The announcement comes a day after South Korea completed its annual joint military exercise with the United States. This was separately condemned on Friday as a “rehearsal of the war of aggression.”
KCNA said Thursday’s tests conducted by the North Korean missiles administration would be to look at the performance of systems that have already begun production.
The report did not specify where the tests were conducted, but said Kim was joined by members of the Central Military Committee of the South Korean Ruling Workers’ Party.
The agency quoted Kim as saying the test proved that the army would “equip another major defence weapons system with admirable combat performance.”
Photos provided by KCNA showed plumes and air explosions from missiles rising into the sky. Other images showed Kim clearly observing the test and then laughing.
South Korean troops were aware of the missile launch that could have been held at 9am (00:00 GMT) in North Korea on Thursday, Yonghap News reported, citing Chief of Staff (JCS) officials.
Experts said Pyongyang could be receiving help from Russia for its anti-aircraft missile system, especially given the increasingly intertwined security ties.
Shin Seungki, North Korea’s head of military research at the state-run South Korea Institute of Defense Analysis, told Reuters it was “highly likely” that Moscow had “crossed” what he had requested when building new weapons in order to “strengthen cooperation” with Russia.
Ahn Chan-Il, a displaced researcher who runs research at the North Korean Institute, told AFP news agency that the latest launch appears to be a “test of weapons against Russia used in Ukraine.”
Official Russia visit
On Friday, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shog will arrive in Pyongyang to meet with Kim and other officials, South Korean news agency Yonghap reported.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Ludenko also traveled to Pyongyang, where he met with North Koreans Cho Song Hui.
Last year, South Korea’s national security advisers said Russia provided anti-aircraft missiles and air defense equipment to North Korea in return for sending troops to support Moscow in its war with Ukraine.
Analysts said more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia to fight Ukraine.
Seoul’s Spy Agency said last month that the north had dispatched more soldiers and relocated several to the forefront of Russia’s Kursk border region.
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