'Weapon will be used immediately...’: North Korea sends BIG message to US amid West Asia war, conducts drills with 600mm rocket launchers
North Korea conducted a major firepower drill using 600mm ultra-precision rocket launchers as tensions rise during US-South Korea Freedom Shield exercises. Kim Jong Un reiterated the need for a strong nuclear deterrent
North Korea conducts drills with 600mm rocket launchers
North Korea conducted a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers. "A long-range artillery sub-unit of the Korean People's Army in the western area conducted a firepower strike drill" involving 12 "600 mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies," N Korean state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The exercise was attended by leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae.
What we know about N Korea's missile testing this week?
Earlier on Mar 14, Pyongyang fired about 10 unidentified ballistic missiles into the sea and on Mar 11, North Korea test-fired another cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer. Japan's coast guard on Mar 14 said it had detected a ballistic missile that fell into the sea outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that it is aware of the missile launches and is consulting with allies and partners.
What we know about US-South Korea military drills
The testing of missiles comes amid the annual military drills by South Korea and the US that started on Mar 9 and will continue till Mar 19. The drills are named as Freedom Shield. Both countries say that the joint drills are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea. Joint forces from the US and South Korea conducted river-crossing exercises, deploying tanks and armoured combat vehicles under the supervision of their combined forces commander. The US military maintains a presence of around 28,500 troops along with fighter jet squadrons in South Korea. North Korea frequently criticises these drills, describing them as “dress rehearsals” for a possible military attack by the allied nations.
Has Trump offered to speak to Kim?
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and US President Donald Trump held a surprise meeting in the White House on Saturday and discussed possible reopening of talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The South Korean leader told Trump he was the only Western leader to have had dialogue with North Korea's Kim and was currently the only person who could resolve issues on the Korean peninsula, Yonhap quoted Kim as telling reporters in Washington. "President Trump said he was curious if Kim wants to talk to the U.S. or him and asked about my views on that," Kim was quoted as saying. Trump met the North Korean leader, for three rounds of talks in 2018 and 2019 to negotiate better relations and a path for Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons programme, but the talks stalled when Trump was voted out of office.
What we know about North Korea's nuclear program and West Asia war
For more than two decades, North Korea has carried out test launches of a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles as part of its efforts to develop systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons, which it is believed to have successfully built. As a result, Pyongyang has been under multiple UN Security Council sanctions since 2006. The latest testing of missiles by Kim Jong UN comes at a time when West Asia is embroiled in a war after Iran was attacked by US and Israel. Kim Jong Un has supported Iran and it may be his message to the US as nuclear program remains at the heart of the attack on Iran
Why has Kim increased the ballistic missile test amid West Asia war?
State media Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim stresses that it is important to maintain and expand a “powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent." The weapon will be "immediately be used for their second mission as a means of massive, destructive strike" in case deterrents fail to prevent foreign forces from launching an armed provocation or invading North Korea," Kim was quoted as saying. North Korea’s latest cruise missile test comes at a time when the US reportedly moved the THAAD missile defence system from South Korea to West Asia. It could temporarily weaken the perception of layered missile defence against North Korea’s expanding missile arsenal. Pyongyang may attempt to exploit the geopolitical distraction created by the West Asia conflict to attack Seoul.
What is Kim's view on Iran war?
North Korea has issued statement supporting Iran with its foreign ministry slamming the US and Israeli military operations as an "unlawful military attack" and a "despicable form of violation of national sovereignty". It accused Washington and Tel Aviv of "destroying the regional peace and security foundations" and trying to overthrow Iran's social system. Pyongyang has also backed appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the Supreme Leader and said that it “respects” him.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
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