North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has personally overseen the launch of two new air defence missiles, with state media hailing their “superior combat capability.”
The announcement on Sunday comes just one day before United States President Donald Trump meets his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung in Washington, DC.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missiles demonstrated a “fast response” to aerial threats, including attack drones and cruise missiles.
KCNA did not provide details about the missiles or specify the launch site, but said their “operation and reaction mode is based on unique and special technology.”
The launches coincided with ongoing US–South Korea joint military drills, which Pyongyang regularly condemns as hostile. The South Korean military said it fired warning shots earlier this week after about 30 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border.
The United Nations Command confirmed the number of North Korean troops involved, according to Yonhap News Agency.
North Korean state media quoted Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol as saying the border crossing was a “premeditated and deliberate provocation.”
“This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area, where a huge number of forces are stationing in confrontation with each other, to the uncontrollable phase,” Ko warned.
Earlier this month, Kim Jong Un denounced the joint drills, calling them proof of Washington and Seoul’s “most hostile and confrontational” stance. He pledged to accelerate the country’s nuclear weapons program.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung has promised to pursue “military trust” and warmer ties with Pyongyang. However, North Korea has repeatedly rejected the prospect of better relations under current conditions.
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