SEOUL, July 27 (AFP): North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un guided the military's latest rocket-firing drill, state media said Sunday, confirming the missile launch which was conducted in defiance of UN censure.
Saturday's launch was the first since the UN Security Council on July 17 officially condemned Pyongyang for its recent series of ballistic missile tests, in violation of UN resolutions.
The North's state news agency KCNA described the missile launch by the army as a "rocket-firing drill" to simulate a strike on military bases in South Korea where 28,500 US troops are stationed.
"(Kim) examined a firing plan mapped out in consideration of the present location of the US imperialist aggressor forces' bases... and under the simulated conditions of the battle to strike and destroy them before guiding the drill," it said.
The launch was intended to mark the July 27 anniversary of the ceasefire agreement at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, KCNA said.
It did not say where the drill took place.
Seoul's army said earlier the North had fired a short-range missile into the sea Saturday night-the latest in a recent series of launches that heightened tension on the peninsula.
The North often fires missiles and rockets as a show of force or to express anger at perceived provocations, but the frequency of the recent tests-six in the past month-is unusual.
N Korea defies UN censure to fire missile into sea
FE Team | Published: July 28, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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