North Korea announced on Friday that it had fired cruise missiles the day before, saying the intensification of US-South Korean military exercises “can be seen as a declaration of war”.
North Korea announced on Friday that it had fired cruise missiles the day before, saying the intensification of US-South Korean military exercises “can be seen as a declaration of war”.
This statement came after the two allies conducted a simulation exercise in Washington of a nuclear conflict with North Korea. North Korean forces held a “strategic cruise missile launch exercise” in the early hours of Thursday, firing four Hwasal-2s, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported on Friday.
Multiple weapon trials
“The exercise clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the nuclear combat force of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea, editor’s note), strengthening its counterattack capabilities in the face of hostile forces,” the agency points out.
South Korea’s defense ministry questioned that description of the test, saying there was a difference between what was announced and what U.S. and South Korean monitoring detected. Seoul added that the analysis was ongoing. Current UN sanctions do not ban North Korea from firing cruise missiles, but Thursday’s drill followed multiple weapons tests this week – including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – which were condemned as “provocative actions” by the UN chief.
Pyongyang called the criticism “unfair and unbalanced” and on Friday called on the world body – which met this week to discuss North Korean launches – to “harshly condemn” Seoul and Washington for their joint military exercises.
Source : Lessentiel
