(Seoul) North Korea confirmed on Saturday that it had test-fired a tactical ballistic missile, state news agency KCNA reported, with leader Kim Jong-un promising to increase the country’s nuclear force.
Kim Jong-un oversaw Friday’s test launch to the Sea of Japan, as part of a mission to assess the “precision and reliability” of a new autonomous navigation system, the KCNA report said .
The North Korean leader said he was “very satisfied” with the test.
The same day, Kim Jong-un visited a military production facility and called for “more rapid strengthening of the nuclear force […] without interruption and without hesitation,” according to KCNA.
“Enemies will be afraid and will not dare to play with fire until they witness our state’s nuclear war posture,” Kim said.
The South Korean military reported Friday that it had detected the launch of “several flying objects suspected to be short-range ballistic missiles” from the Wonsan region in eastern North Korea.
These missiles traveled about 300 kilometers before crashing into the waters east of the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that the South Korean military had “strengthened its vigilance and monitoring in anticipation of other launches.
The launch is the latest in a series of tests by North Korea, which has launched cruise missiles as well as tactical and hypersonic weapons in recent months in what the nuclear-armed country said was aimed at nuclear, to improve its defensive capabilities.
Washington and Seoul say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shipped weapons to Moscow, which would fall under United Nations sanctions.
The launch came hours after a denial by leader Kim’s powerful sister of accusations that Pyongyang was supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.