N.Korea says it conducted ‘strategic cruise missile’ drills this week

Seoul:  North Korea has conducted “strategic cruise missile” launching drills, with the “war posture” of the country’s nuclear combat forces clearly demonstrated, as South Korea and the US held joint military exercises this week, Pyongayng’s state media said on Friday.

A sub-unit of the North’s strategic cruise missile unit fired four “Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles” from an area of the northeastern city of Kim Chaek in North Hamgyong province toward the East Sea at dawn on Thursday, according to the Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“The four strategic cruise missiles precisely hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after travelling the 2,000 km-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA report as saying.

“The drill reconfirmed the reliability of the weapon system and examined the rapid response posture of strategic cruise missile units that constitute one of major forces of the DPRK nuclear deterrent.

“The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces,” it added.

DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

South Korea’s military said it was analysing various possibilities related to the North’s claim of the launches.

“South Korean and US reconnaissance and surveillance assets were closely monitoring the relevant area at the time (of the drills) the North claims,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

“An analysis is underway on various possibilities, including whether the North’s claim is true or not.”

Meanwhile, the allies held tabletop drills against North Korea’s nuclear threats at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

They also held trilateral missile defence exercise, joined by Japan, in the international waters of the East Sea earlier this week in response to the North’s recent firing of ballistic missiles, including a long-range one.

–IANS