“`html
North Korean state media reports that two new air defense missiles were test-fired under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the weapons possess “superior combat capability” and incorporate a “unique technology,” though specific details were not disclosed.
The launches, which took place on Saturday, “proved that the technological features of two types of projectiles are very suitable for destroying various aerial targets,” including drones and cruise missiles, KCNA stated.
This test follows reports that South Korea fired warning shots on Tuesday at North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries.
Yonhap News Agency cited United Nations Command as stating that approximately 30 North Korean troops crossed the heavily fortified border.
Pyongyang responded by accusing Seoul of engaging in a “deliberate provocation.”
South Korea and the United States have been conducting large-scale joint military exercises in the region since Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung at a summit in Washington on Monday.
The newly elected South Korean president had campaigned on a platform of improving inter-Korean relations.
However, Kim’s sister has since rejected reconciliation efforts made by Lee’s government.
Kim also recently condemned the joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, describing them as “most hostile and confrontational.”
The North Korean leader has vowed to accelerate efforts to increase the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal.
In January, North Korea claimed to have fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile equipped with a hypersonic warhead, asserting that it “will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region.”
Senior South Korean officials have expressed concerns about North Korea potentially receiving Russian missile technology in exchange for sending troops to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Shin Wonsik, national security advisor for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, stated last year that Seoul had evidence of Moscow providing missiles and other equipment to enhance Pyongyang’s air defense network.
It remains unclear whether the latest missiles tested by North Korea incorporate any Russian technology.
North Korea is widely recognized as one of the world’s most repressive totalitarian states, with Kim and his family maintaining power for decades.
South and North Korea have remained divided since the Korean War ended in 1953.
The two countries did not sign a peace treaty and technically remain at war, although there have been no instances of either side shelling the other in recent years.
Pyongyang’s state media call the shots a “deliberate provocation”, as the South Korean leader begins visit to US and Japan.
Russia and China are leading the global race in hypersonic missiles – how worried should we be that the US is playing catch up and the UK has none?
Ahn Hak-sop failed in his attempt to cross the border, after spending most of his life in South Korea.
Shenghua Wen received around $2m (£1.5m) from North Korean officials to ship weapons from California.
Kim Jong Un’s sister added that the country had ‘no will’ to improve relations with South Korea.
“`