USNI News
North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with a new autonomous navigation system on Friday, reported state media on Saturday. The last weapons test North Korea conducted was on Apr. 22, when it fired SRBMs in a nuclear command-and-control test.
The test firing verified the accuracy and reliability of the autonomous navigation system was reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, which also reported that the firing was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The test was part of the regular activities of the administration and its affiliated defense science institutes for rapid technological development of weapon systems, according to KCNA.
KCNA did not report the missile type or number of missiles fired or the range the missile traveled, but released imagery revealing that the SRBM is the Hwasong-11D tactical ballistic missile. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Friday stated that at 3:10 pm that day, several SRBMs were fired from Wonsan, North Korea, and traveled 300 km before impacting into the East China Sea. “We strongly condemn the North Korean missile launch as a clear act of provocation that seriously threatens the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula,” read the release.
