Alwaght- North Korean leader has supervised the test of a new anti-aircraft weapon system amid continuing tensions with South Korea.
Kim Jong Un has ordered the mass production of the "new-type anti-aircraft guided weapon system" and deployment throughout the country, the state news agency reported on Sunday.
The system will help in “detecting and striking different targets flying from any direction… [and] spoil enemy’s wild dream to control the air,” KCNA said.
The North's KCNA news agency did not report the exact nature of the weapon or the time of the test but said it was organized by the Academy of National Defence Science, a blacklisted agency that is believed to be developing missiles and nuclear weapons.
The report said the Academy of National Defense Science had organized the test. It said that the mass production of the new anti-aircraft weapon was underway.
North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test a week ago. The country has been making efforts to upgrade its weapon systems amid threats of military action against it by Washington. It has recently developed a long-range missile capable of striking the United States’ mainland and has in recent weeks tested its intermediate-range ballistic missile.
"This weapon system, whose operation capability has been thoroughly verified, should be mass-produced to deploy all over the country," KCNA cited Kim as saying.
Pyongyang has been under mounting international pressure over its missile and military nuclear programs. North Korea says it will continue those programs until the United States ends its hostility toward the country.
The US, on the other hand, continues to adopt a war-like posture against North Korea. Washington regularly conducts joint military drills with North Korea’s regional adversaries Japan and South Korea. The US also recently deployed a strike force to the region.
American officials have indicated that military intervention in North Korea is an option on the table.
