All ears: Kim (left) listening to a briefing by a military official during the test-firing at an undisclosed location in North Korea. — AP
Leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the test-firing of two new air defence missiles, state media said, after Pyongyang accused Seoul of fomenting tensions on the border.
The test-firing, which took place on Saturday, showed that the two “improved” missile weapon systems had “superior combat capability”, the Korean Central News Agency reported yesterday.
The KCNA report did not explain the new missiles in any detail, only that their “operation and reaction mode is based on unique and special technology”.
It also did not specify where the test had been conducted.
“The firing particularly proved that the technological features of two types of projectiles are very suitable for destroying various aerial targets,” KCNA said.
Photos released by KCNA showed air defence missiles soaring into the sky and the flash of the purported interception of an incoming projectile.
Kim is pictured listening to a briefing by a military official, a pair of binoculars sitting next to him on his desk.
Kim separately communicated an “important task” for the defence science sector to carry out before a key party meeting, it added.
Analysts say Pyongyang appears to be accelerating the development of air defence missiles aimed at countering drones, citing the KCNA report that specifically mentioned “drones and cruise missiles”. — AFP
