SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed "great satisfaction" over the most recent test of a huge multiple-rocket launcher, state media said on Friday, a launch that experts said showed the improved performance of the system and its crews.
Two projectiles of short range were fired by North Korea into the sea off its east coast on Thursday in the fourth test of its "super-large multiple rocket launcher" South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced at a press conference.
N.Korea's Thanksgiving Day test demonstrates increased speed for missile crews. Back to video
The United States was reminded by Kim on Thanksgiving Day that Washington has an end of year deadline to meet in order to allow Kim to test the KN-25 missile.
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Article content Since the unveiling of the KN-25 test, a series tests has shown that the North Koreans are steadily improving their ability to launch multiple rockets from mobile launch vehicles.
That capability increases the likelihood that, in the event of a war, North Korean rocket crews could quickly deploy, fire and move before being targeted by South Korean or American forces experts have said.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies posted on Twitter that "the more quickly it fires, the faster it will (get out of dodge) before counter-fire arrives."
"READY for DEPLOYMENT"
The JCS declared that the missiles fired in the September and August KN-25 tests were fired for 17 minutes and 19 minutes respectively.
Content of the article by the end of October crews had narrowed that interval to three minutes, whereas on Thursday the gap between the two missiles was around 30 seconds.
"The test-fire of the volley that was designed at examining the final combat application of the super-large multi-launch rocket system proved the military and technical superiority of the weapon system and its solid reliability," KCNA said.
Photos released by KCNA showed missiles being fired from a transporter-erector-launcher equipped with four launcher tubes.
Experts believe that the latest short-range missiles are a direct threat against South Korea and U.S forces stationed there.
The missiles traveled as far as 338 km (236 miles) and attained an altitude of 97 kilometers according to the JCS which puts nearly all of South Korea within range.
Article content "North Korea is attempting to selectively to modernize its conventional force in a low-cost and high-efficiency fashion to concentrate on economics and to reassure its military as nuclear talks are in progress," said Kim Dongyub, a former South Korean Navy officer and professor at Kyungnam University, Seoul.
"The system is ready for mass production and deployment," said the latest test.
COUNT DOWN TO A DEADLINE
A spokesperson from Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations on Friday urged the North to stop any actions that could cause more tension and to reengage in dialogue.
Kim has set a end of year deadline to restart talks with the United States, which remain in limbo following last month's working-level meeting.
Content of the article North Korea demonstrated progress in the development of conventional weapons while negotiating with Washington.
South Korean lawmakers claimed that they had a South Korean intelligence agency reported an increase in vehicles and equipment movements at the Tongchangri missile launch site, which Pyongyang claimed that it had destroyed in January of last year.
Early this year, it was able to test new missiles that have similar features as Russia's SS-26 Iskander which are relatively smaller, but easier to conceal launch, maneuver and maneuver in flight.
North Korea demanded that the sanctions be lifted and warned that it could take the "new direction."https://tlauncher.club/ This raises concerns about the possibility of North Korea's return to long-range and nuclear missile tests, which have been suspended since 2017.
Stephen Biegun, the U.S.'s top nuclear negotiator, said last week that the deadline to end the year was artificial but could signal a return to the "provocative" steps that were taken before the past two years. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates)
