North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the military to step up exercises to test its ability to compete in a real war.
North Korean leader Kim has overseen a series of missile tests simulating the destruction of an enemy airfield and has asked the military "It has emphasized intensifying exercises to simulate “real war”.
State media also showed Kim’s young daughter sitting on a couch as she watched scenes described as a success.
Photos published in the state-run Rodong Sunmoon newspaper on Friday showed the test involving six short-range ballistic missile launch vehicles.
Each launch vehicle is capable of carrying four missiles. These launchers were shown lined up along the coastal forested area.
North Korea’s official news agency KCNA said that "A unit trained for a “strike mission” identified a target over the waters and "Demonstrated their ability to fight a real war.
After the warning, North Korea fired the missile
North Korea has fired a ballistic missile ahead of the joint military exercises announced by South Korea and the United States. The missile was fired after North Korea warned to stop joint exercises.
South Korea’s military says it has detected that North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile into waters off its west coast.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from near the western coastal city of Nampo at around 6:20 p.m. Thursday, but it was not immediately clear how far the missile flew. .
The move comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned on Tuesday. The warning said that his country was against the US and South Korea "Ready to take “quick and forceful action”.
The US and South Korea will hold large-scale military exercises for at least 10 days starting March 13. "”Freedom Shield” is called the exercise.