Kim Jong-un visited a navy unit and oversaw a test of strategic cruise missiles, state media reported on Monday (August 21st), ahead of joint military drills by South Korea and the United States.
The North Korean leader inspected one of his fleets in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, and observed the crew as they prepared for a “strategic cruise missile” launch exercise, saying reported the official news agency, KCNA. The latter did not specify when the visit took place or provide details on the type of missiles launched. She did, however, report that they “quickly hit their targets without a single mistake.”
The announcement comes ahead of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. These large-scale US-South Korean maneuvers, scheduled until August 31, aim to respond to the growing threats from North Korea, which has nuclear weapons. Pyongyang, which believes that these joint exercises are actually preparing for an invasion of the North, has repeatedly warned that “overwhelming” actions will respond to them.
Suspected North Korean hackers have previously carried out email attacks against South Korean contractors working at the Allied Exercises War Simulation Center, police said. The cruise missile test announcement comes days after US President Joe Biden received South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David.
At a press conference on Friday, they said the summit marks a “new chapter” of close tripartite security cooperation, unthinkable until recently due to tensions between Tokyo and Seoul. related to the harsh history of Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. It was the first time that the leaders of the three countries met for a stand-alone summit. And if China was the main subject, North Korea was also on the menu.
The three leaders agreed on a multi-year plan of regular exercises in all areas, going beyond one-off drills in response to Pyongyang. They made a “formal commitment to consult” during crises, via a direct communication line. They also agreed to share real-time data relating to North Korea, and to meet in summit every year.