[News Today] NK FIRES SHORT-RANGE MISSILES

[LEAD]
North Korea recently launched the new Hwaseong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile. Yesterday, it followed up with a short-range ballistic missile provocation. The missile, likely the KN-25, is a super-large rocket launcher capable of striking anywhere on the Korean Peninsula.

[REPORT]
The moment the launchers on a vehicle are erected, multiple missiles soar into the sky concurrently.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired what was presumed to be KN-25 short-range ballistic missiles from super-large 600mm multiple rocket launchers.

The projectiles were fired from Sariwon in Hwanghaebuk-do Province and flew about 400km before falling into the East Sea.

The North previously claimed its KN-25 can carry the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warheads.

Seoul's military is focusing on the fact that the launch came from Sariwon, which is closer to the South, rather than from its usual launch site northeast of Pyongyang. When fired in a straight line southward, its range can cover the entire southern coast of South Korea.

The military also believes the North used mobile launch vehicles to show off its ability to stage sudden tactical nuclear attacks.

The JCS says Pyongyang will likely carry out various provocations in the near future, including hypersonic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and a seventh nuclear test.

It’s believed that the North's nuclear material production has increased beyond initial estimates, raising the likelihood of a tactical nuclear detonation test for the 600mm rocket launcher.

Nam Ki-soo / South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff
We won't sit and watch. We again warn that the responsibility for the consequences lies with North Korea.

Seoul's military plans to hold live-fire drills, involving Hyunmoo-II surface-to-surface missiles and the Cheongung surface-to-air missile to respond to the North's missile provocation.

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