North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has tested a new-type tactical guided weapon, according to the countrys state media.
The move could be an attempt to put pressure on an apparent deadlock in nuclear disarmament talks following a failed summit between the countrys leader and President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Jong Un observed the firing by the Academy of Defence Science of the unspecified weapon on Wednesday, the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
Jong Un was reported to have said that the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the Peoples Army.
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The Norths report said the tactical guided weapon successfully tested in a peculiar mode of guiding flight and demonstrated the ability to deliver a powerful warhead.
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North Koreas claim has not yet been verified and its unsure what was actually tested.
It is likely not, however, a banned ballistic missile test, which would jeopardise the diplomatic talks meant to provide the North with concessions in return for disarmament.
A South Korean analyst said that details in the Norths media report indicate it could have been a new type of cruise missile.
Another possible clue could be one of the lower level officials mentioned in the Norths report on the test – Pak Jong Chon – who is known as an artillery official.
Its North Koreas first public weapons test since the second US summit in Hanoi ended with no agreement in February.
The move could be an attempt to show the countrys displeasure with the current deadlocked nuclear talks with the US without causing those coveted negotiations to collapse.
Trump said last month that he would be very disappointed if I saw testing.
Some in Seoul worry that the North will turn back to actions seen as provocative by outsiders as a way to force Washington to drop its hardline negotiating stance and grant the their demand for a removal of crushing international sanctions.
A string of increasingly powerful weapons tests in 2017 and Trumps response of fire and fury had many fearing war before the North shifted to diplomacy.
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As the diplomacy stalls, there have been fresh reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research centre and long-range rocket site where Pyongyang is believed to build missiles targeting the US mainland.
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North Korean media said on Wednesday that Jong Un guided a flight drill of combat pilots from an air force and anti-aircraft unit tasked with defending the capital Pyongyang from an attack.
During a speech at his rubber-stamp parliament last week, Jong Un set the years end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage diplomacy.
The North said on Thursday that JoRead More – Source
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