(Adnkronos) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a new test of the anti-aircraft missile system, in a context of growing tension on the Korean peninsula, fueled, according to Pyongyang, by Donald Trump’s return to the White House. “The test demonstrated the rapid combat response capability of the latest anti-aircraft missile system and the high reliability of the entire weapon system,” a statement from the North Korean news agency Kcna said.
Kim, accompanied by members of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, said the North Korean military will be equipped with “another important defensive weapon system with excellent operational capabilities.” The leader also expressed gratitude to the air defense system research group and the ammunition industry involved, recognizing their “important contribution to strengthening national defense capabilities.”
On the same day, the United States and South Korea concluded their annual joint military exercises, dubbed “Freedom Shield.” The North Korean Foreign Ministry harshly criticized the maneuvers, calling them a “war exercise of aggression aimed at invading and occupying North Korea in all its aspects.” “As the military provocations of hostile forces have reached such a serious level that they can no longer be ignored or tolerated, the position of the armed forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is clear in wanting to counter them,” the ministry said.
