North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of two types of new air defence missiles, state media said on Sunday, displaying his expanding military capabilities as the South Korean and US militaries carry out joint drills.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed the test on Saturday proved the missiles effective in countering aerial threats such as drones and cruise missiles, saying they had “superior combat capability” and used a “unique technology”.
The report did not specify the missiles that were tested or where the event took place.
KCNA reported that Kim assigned “important” tasks to his military scientists ahead of a major political conference early next year. It did not mention any new remarks by Kim directed at Washington or Seoul.
The test coincided with new South Korean president Lee Jae Myung ’s trip to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, where they vowed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and their trilateral partnership with the United States to address common challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Lee was to depart for Washington on Sunday for a summit Donald Trump.
Kim’s government has repeatedly dismissed calls by Seoul and Washington to restart long-stalled negotiations aimed at winding down his nuclear weapons and missiles programmes, as he continues to prioritise Russia as part of a foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with nations confronting the United States.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kim has sent thousands of troops and large shipments of weapons, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to help fuel president Vladimir Putin’s war.
That has raised concerns Moscow could provide technology that strengthens Kim’s nuclear-armed military, with experts pointing to North Korea’s aging anti-air and radar systems as a likely area of cooperation.
South Korea’s previous conservative government said in November that Russia supplied missiles and other equipment to help strengthen air defences of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but did not specify which systems were provided.
Kim held a ceremony in Pyongyang last week to honor North Korean soldiers who fought in Ukraine, awarding state “hero” titles to those who returned and placing medals beside 101 portraits of the fallen, praising them as “great men, great heroes and great patriots,” state media reported.
According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and about 600 of them have died in combat.
Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk region, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could happen soon.
