North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised the test launch of 12 600mm multiple rocket launchers, the state news agency KCNA reported, quoted by Reuters.
The test took place against the background of the annual joint US-South Korean military exercises that began this week.
According to the KCNA, the missiles hit a target on an island in the East Sea at a distance of about 364.4 kilometers with “100 percent accuracy“. Kim said the exercise would put “enemies within a radius of 420 kilometers on alert” and will give them “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons“.
Photos released by the North Korean state agency showed Kim Jong-un watching the test with his daughter Kim Ju-ae, who often appears in public with him and is considered by some analysts to be his possible successor. Just two days ago, the two visited a munitions factory where they were testing pistols.
The South Korean military reported earlier that North Korea had fired more than 10 ballistic missiles into the sea off the country's east coast. According to Seoul, the missiles were launched from an area near the capital Pyongyang at around 1:20 p.m. local time and flew approximately 350 kilometers.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are increasing as the “Freedom Shield“ joint military exercises began on Monday. (Freedom Shield) exercises between South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has regularly criticized the maneuvers, calling them preparations for war.
Last week, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, said the exercises were a "provocative and aggressive rehearsal for war" that undermined regional stability. Washington and Seoul have stressed that the maneuvers are defensive and aimed at testing joint readiness against potential threats from North Korea.
North Korea has said it will continue to conduct such tests to test the capabilities of its military deterrence.
Pyongyang has been developing ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades as part of its nuclear weapons delivery program. As a result, the country has been subject to a series of UN Security Council sanctions imposed since 2006.
Meanwhile, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with US President Donald Trump in Washington this week. The two discussed the possibilities of resuming dialogue with North Korea. According to the Prime Minister, Trump has said that he is ready to seize any opportunity to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.