North Korea starts 2023 with missile launch which travels 350 km
Pyongyang had never fired missiles on December 31 and January 1.
North Korea started the new year by conducting a missile launch. Till date Pyongyang had never fired missiles on December 31 and January 1.
North Korea said that the launches conducted on the last day of 2022 and the first day of 2023 involved a new 600 mm super-large multiple rocket launcher.
Reuters reported, that the new systems were capable of carrying nuclear weapons with all of South Korea within their range.
Last year, North Korea launched a record number of missiles. A total of 37 ballistic and cruise missile launches took place and over 70 missiles were fired.
The three short-range ballistic missiles launched on Saturday morning, fell into the sea, flying 350 km at a maximum altitude of 100 km, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing the Japanese Defence Ministry.
The area of the fall, was outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. No damage to aircraft or ships in connection with the fall of missiles or their debris was recorded.
The Japanese government protested to Pyongyang about the missile launches through diplomatic channels in Beijing. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued a standard instruction for such cases to collect information and provide it to the population, to ensure the safety of aircraft and ships. He asked everyone to be ready for unforeseen circumstances.
The current launch was the 37th in 2022. Pyongyang is hosting a plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered a three-day “historic report,” setting goals for strengthening defence capabilities in 2023.
Japan has repeatedly noted the rapid development of North Korea’s nuclear missile program. In the updated national security strategy, Tokyo noted that Pyongyang posed a greater threat than before.
