North Korea Test-Fires New Air Defense Missile (Photos)

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North Korea announced on March 21 that its military had successfully tested a “new-generation” missile-based air defense system.

Rodong Sinmun reported that the Missile General Bureau oversaw the test launch which took place a day earlier. The test was aimed at evaluating the weapon system’s comprehensive combat capabilities, according to the state-run newspaper, which said that the missile system recently transitioned from development to full-scale production at an undisclosed military-industrial facility, the report added.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally observed the launch alongside high-ranking officials from the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission.

The new missile system was described by state media as having “superior combat responsiveness” and stated that its overall reliability was “highly rated.”

Photos released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed the missile striking a target over water and exploding midair, as well as Kim watching the results on a monitor.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not announce any real-time detection of the reported launches on March 20. However, the JCS released a statement the next day acknowledging that its military had detected and tracked several missiles.

“Our military had prior intelligence of North Korea’s missile launch indications and was prepared when multiple missiles were fired from near Onchon toward the West Sea (Yellow Sea) around 9 a.m. Thursday [March 20],” the statement said.

South Korean and United States intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of the missiles’ specifications, according to the military.

The test took place on the same day that the U.S. and South Korean militaries concluded their annual Freedom Shield command post exercise. The two allies held diverse field training exercises alongside the Freedom Shield drills.

U.S. and South Korean officials describe their combined military drills as defensive in nature, but North Korea slams them as a major security threat. Hours after this year’s Freedom Shield training began on March 10, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea.

The North Korean Defense Ministry alleged that the recent drills involved simulations to destroy underground tunnels in the North to remove its nuclear weapons.

An unidentified ministry spokesperson said the U.S. and South Korea would face consequences if they performed similar provocative actions again.

“The accumulated reckless military moves of the U.S. and the ROK, seized with the daydream that they can jeopardize the sovereignty and security of a nuclear weapons state, can undoubtedly bring the gravest consequences they do not want,” the spokesperson said in a statement carried in KCNA.

Tensions have been building up on the Korean Peninsula for a few months now, with the North conducting at least six weapon tests since the start of the year.

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