SEOUL, June 19 (UPI) — North Korea fired around 10 rounds from multiple-launcher rocket systems, Seoul’s military said Thursday, one day after South Korea held joint air drills with the United States and Japan.
The rockets were launched around 10 a.m. from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message sent to reporters.
“The detailed specifications are being closely analyzed by South Korean-U.S. intelligence authorities,” the JCS said. “In the current security situation, our military is closely monitoring various trends in North Korea under a strong South Korea-U.S. military posture.”
Further details were not immediately provided.
News agency Yonhap reported that the weapons appeared to be fired from 240mm multiple rocket launchers in the direction of the Yellow Sea.
Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of an updated 240mm system with new guidance and maneuverability capabilities — a demonstration that South Korean officials speculated was made in anticipation of sales to Russia.
North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Pyongyang is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs in return.
On Tuesday, Moscow’s top security official said that North Korea would send 6,000 military workers and combat engineers to help rebuild Russia’s war-torn Kursk region.
Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu made the announcement while meeting Kim in Pyongyang for the second time this month. His visit came ahead of the one-year anniversary of the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The North’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper celebrated the June 19 anniversary in an article touting the “absolute solidity” of its alliance with Russia.
“The traditional DPRK-Russia friendship has been upgraded to a true alliance and solid strategic partnership,” the article said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
Thursday’s weapons test came one day after South Korea, the United States and Japan conducted a combined military air exercise. The drills, which involved South Korean F-15K, U.S. F-16 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets, marked the first trilateral exercise under the administration of new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
Lee met with his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting in Canada on Tuesday. The two leaders vowed to strengthen three-way cooperation with the United States to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, Lee’s office said.
