North Korea has fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile. The second test in the past week and the fourth during the past month as the arms race in Korean Peninsula touches historic heights.
North Korean state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the anti-aircraft missile had a “remarkable combat performance” and included twin rudder controls and other new technologies”.
Citing the military weapons developer Academy of Defence Science, KCNA said. “The remarkable combat performance of the new-type anti-aircraft missile with features of rapid responsiveness and guidance accuracy of missile control system as well as the substantial increase in the distance of downing air targets has been verified.”
The test comes just two days after the country launched a previously unseen hypersonic missile.
North Korea resumed its missile tests in September after a six-month hiatus, firing a nuclear-capable cruise missile and then a pair of railway-borne ballistic missiles.
Usually, South Korea, Japan, and the US reveal North Korean missile tests soon after they are carried out. However, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said that it was unable to immediately confirm the latest launch.
North Korea has been developing increasingly sophisticated weapons saying it wants to boost its defensive capabilities amid a “hostile” United States and South Korea.
Talks over denuclearisation have been stalled since 2019, and Pyongyang has long used weapons tests to ratchet up tensions and try to push forward its diplomatic and strategic objectives.
Stick-and-carrot technique
Some experts say North Korea is pressuring South Korea not to criticise its ballistic missile tests, which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, as part of its quest to secure international recognition as a nuclear power.
Others say the North wants the South to persuade the United States to ease crippling economic sanctions. It also wants to get closer to South Korean President Moon Jae-in who is keen to secure his legacy before he leaves office next year.
On Wednesday, Kim said he had no reasons to attack South Korea and was willing to reopen severed inter-Korean hotlines, but that Washington’s repeated offers of talks without preconditions were a “petty trick”, accusing the administration of US President Joe Biden of continuing the “hostile policy” of its predecessors.
The latest tests have sparked international condemnation, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying they created “greater prospects for instability and insecurity”.
The United States, Britain, and France have called a UN Security Council meeting on North Korea, which is set to take place on Friday.
