Page 11 - aruba-today-20190506

A11
WORLD NEWS Monday 6 May 2019

Kim oversees missile firing drills, tells troops to be alert

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Blue House in Seoul, also
Associated Press urged North Korea to stop
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — committing acts that would
North Korean state media raise military tensions and
on Sunday showed leader join efforts to resume nucle-
Kim Jong Un observing ar diplomacy.
live-fire drills of long-range U.S. Secretary of State
multiple rocket launchers Mike Pompeo stressed that
and what appeared to be Washington still wants to
a new short-range ballistic strike a deal with Kim to get
missile, a day after South the North Korea to denu-
Korea expressed concern clearize. He told Fox News
that the launches were a Sunday and ABC's "This
violation of an inter-Korean Week" that the weapons
agreement to cease all launched were short-range
hostile acts. and not intercontinental
Pyongyang's official Ko- ballistic missiles.
rean Central News Agency "They landed in the water
said Kim expressed "great east of North Korea and
satisfaction" over Satur- didn't present a threat to
day's drills and stressed that the United States or South
his front-line troops should Korea or Japan," he said on
keep a "high alert posture" ABC. This Saturday, May 4, 2019, photo provided on Sunday, May 5, 2019, by the North Korean govern-
and enhance combat abil- South Korea's Joint Chiefs ment shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, equipped with binoculars, observing tests of differ-
ity to "defend the political of Staff initially said on ent weapons systems, in North Korea.
sovereignty and econom- Saturday that the North Associated Press
ic self-sustenance of the launched a single mis-
country." sile from the site near the launchers and what ap- sustenance of the country reach, said Kim, who based
The weapons launches coastal town of Wonsan peared to be a short-range and ... the security of the his analysis on the capa-
were a likely sign of Pyong- but later said in a state- missile fired from a launch people from the threats bilities of the Iskander and
yang's growing frustration ment that "several projec- vehicle, and also an explo- and invasion by any forc- North Korea's current levels
at stalled diplomatic talks tiles" had been fired. sion of what seemed to be es," the report added. in missile technology.
with Washington meant to In its updated assessment a target set on island rocks. The North Korean missile The missile is also likely de-
provide coveted sanctions on Sunday, the JCS did not "Praising the People's Army appeared to be modeled signed to be maneuvered
relief in return for nuclear confirm whether the North for its excellent operation after Russia's 9K720 Iskan- during flight and warhead
disarmament. They also fired a ballistic missile, but of modern large-caliber der mobile short-range delivery, which would
highlighted the fragility of said a "new tactical guid- long-range multiple rock- ballistic missile system, said make it less likely to be in-
the detente between the ed weapon" was among et launchers and tactical Kim Dong-yub, an analyst tercepted by missile de-
Koreas, which in a military the weapons tested by the guided weapons, he said from Seoul's Institute for Far fense systems, he said.
agreement reached last North, which also included that all the service members Eastern Studies. The solid- "The North tried to clearly
September vowed to com- 240 millimeter- and 300 are master gunners and fuel North Korean missile demonstrate its abilities to
pletely cease "all hostile millimeter-caliber multiple they are capable of car- was first revealed in a mili- strike any target on the Ko-
acts" against each other in rocket launchers. The JCS rying out duty to promptly tary parade in Pyongyang rean Peninsula, including
land, air and sea. said the various projectiles tackle any situation," the in February last year and is U.S. troops stationed across
South Korea said it's "very flew from 70 to 240 kilome- KNCA paraphrased Kim as likely the unspecified tacti- South Korea in areas such
concerned" about North ters (44 to 149 miles) before saying. cal weapon the North said as Seoul, Pyeongtaek, Dae-
Korea's weapons launches, splashing into sea. "He stressed the need for it tested last month, he said. gu and Busan," said Kim, a
calling them a violation of The North's official Rodong all the service members The new missile would be former South Korean mili-
the agreements to reduce Sinmun newspaper pub- to keep high alert posture potentially capable of de- tary official. The distance
animosities between the lished photos that showed and more dynamically livering nuclear warheads between Wonsan, where
countries. The statement, Kim, equipped with bin- wage the drive to increase and striking targets as far the launch was held, and
issued after an emergency oculars, observing tests of the combat ability so as to away as 500 kilometers (310 the South Korean capital of
meeting Saturday of top different weapons systems, defend the political sover- miles), which puts the en- Seoul is roughly 200 kilome-
officials at the presidential including multiple rocket eignty and economic self- tire Korean Peninsula within ters (124 miles).q