Seoul — North Korea launched a newly developed anti-aircraft missile on Thursday, state media KCNA reported Friday, the latest in a series of recent weapons tests during a deadlocked denuclearization talks with the United States.
Tests conducted by the Academy of Defense Sciences, a military weapons developer, aimed to confirm the practical capabilities of missile launchers, radar, comprehensive combat command vehicles, and combat performance, KCNA said. rice field.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not appear to have participated in the exam and was instead supervised by Pak Jong-chon, a member of the ruling Labor Party’s powerful political bureau and central committee.
“Overall testing has very practical importance in the research and development of various future anti-aircraft missile systems,” said the official KCNA news agency, citing the Academy.
South Korea, Japan, and the United States usually confirmed publicly shortly after the North Korean missile launch, but did not confirm it in Thursday’s test, so it may not have been a major weapons test.
Shin Hyun Hee
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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