N. Korea deploys hundreds of missile launchers to frontline units

By Park Ung Posted : August 5, 2024, 17:07 Updated : August 5, 2024, 17:24

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech at the ceremony for deploying the new tactical ballistic missile weapon system in Pyongyang on Sunday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) speaks at a military ceremony in Pyongyang on Aug. 4, 2024, in this photo released by Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day.
SEOUL, August 5 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea said it has deployed 250 new mobile launchers for ballistic missiles to frontline military units, the reclusive country said Monday.

Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim attended a ceremony the previous day to commemorate the transfer of the new launchers. It quoted Kim as saying, "If the U.S. ignores our repeated warnings and continues to attempt to undermine the security of the region, it will have dire consequences for its own security."

Claiming that the country has more advanced nuclear capabilities, he added, "Dialogue or confrontation can be our choice, but what we must be more thoroughly prepared for is confrontation."
   
This image shows new missile launchers in Pyongyang on Sunday Yonhap
Dozens of large green military trucks are lined up during a military ceremony in Pyongyang on Aug. 4, 2024, in this photo released by Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day.
Experts speculate that the fresh launchers, which appear to be associated with its short-range ballistic missile Hwaseong-11, capable of carrying a tactical nuclear warhead, are likely to be deployed soon along the border with South Korea. Some 250 launchers, theoretically, could fire up to 1,000 missiles simultaneously, posing a great threat to Seoul.
 
"North Korea's continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," said Koo Byung-sam, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification here on the same day.

Meanwhile, photos released by KCNA revealed that Kim was accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, who is reportedly being groomed as his successor, according to recent reports from the South's spy agency.
   
기사 이미지 확대 보기
닫기