Alwaght- North Korean President Kim Jong Un says the new intermediate-range missile tested Wednesday strengthens capability of the country to launch a preventive nuclear attack and is able to target US military bases in the Pacific.
“We have the sure capability to attack in, an overall and practical way, the Americans in the Pacific operation theater,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted President Kim as saying after supervising the test launch.
The DPRK leader added that the success of the missiles test is an important opportunity to enhance the strength of our country’s offensive nuclear strike, dubbing the test as a major event.
On Wednesday, the DPRK launched two Musudan intermediate-range mobile-launched missiles which are capable of striking targets in South Korea to Japan as minimum range, and to US military bases in Guam Islands in the Pacific as maximum one.
On January 7th, DPRK carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test.
A spokesman for South Korea's military, Jeon Ha-gyu, said the second launch demonstrated "technical progress in terms of its engine capacity". However, Jeon said it would not be meaningful to discuss whether it was a success because it was not a normal flight.
The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed around 2007, although the North had never attempted to test-fire them until this year.
North and South Korea are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Pyongyang says developing a nuclear weapon is necessary in order to protect itself against US interference in North Korean affairs, and that the bomb can defend it against any invasion.
