North Korea runs rocket test launches after US-South Korea military drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae at the missile launch site on Saturday. Picture: KCNA/Korea News

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-launch of 12 600mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers on Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency said.

It comes after the US and South Korea last week launched annual major military drills in South Korea.

Kim Jong Un said the drill would expose “the enemies within the 420km striking range, to uneasiness” and “give them a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons”.

Images from the state news agency showed Kim and his daughter and potential successor, Kim Ju Ae, watching the weapons tests.

“The launched rockets battered the island target in the East Sea of Korea about 364.4km away with the accuracy of 100%,” KCNA said.

South Korea’s military said on Saturday that North Korea fired more than 10 ballistic missiles towards the sea off the country’s east coast.

The missiles were launched from an area near the capital Pyongyang around 1.20pm local time and flew about 350km, Seoul said.

Last week, North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said that US-South Korea military drills were a “provocative and aggressive war rehearsal” that would harm regional stability.

South Korea and Washington say the drills are purely defensive, and aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea.

Yesterday, North Korea said it would frequently conduct such regular drills for checking its war deterrence.

North Korea has test-launched a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades in a push to develop the means to deliver nuclear weapons, which it is believed to have successfully built.

As a result, Pyongyang has been under multiple UN Security Council sanctions since 2006 but it remains defiant, despite severe obstacles they created to its trade, economy, and defence.

On Thursday, South Korea’s prime minister Kim Min-seok met US president Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with North Korea.

The South Korean leader told reporters that Mr Trump is eager for any opportunity to sit down with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

• Reuters