North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the test-firing of new air defence missiles, state media KCNA reported on Sunday. The exercise was conducted to evaluate the weapon system’s combat readiness and capabilities.
The report of the military test was published just one day before a scheduled summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. The timing underscores the ongoing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
This latest demonstration follows strong condemnation from Kim Jong Un earlier this month against joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, which he denounced as evidence of a “most hostile and confrontational” stance against his nation. In response, he had pledged to accelerate North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program.
According to KCNA, the new anti-air weapon systems successfully demonstrated a “fast response” capability against simulated aerial threats, including attack drones and cruise missiles, indicating a focus on modernizing its defensive arsenal.
