Seoul, Feb 15 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test launch of a new surface-to-sea missile, the Padasuri-6, and ordered the adoption of a stricter defense posture near the western maritime border between the two Koreas, state media reported Thursday.
On Wednesday, the South Korean military announced the detection of the launch of several unidentified cruise projectiles from the port city of Wonsan, in the east of the neighboring country, the fifth such North Korean test so far this year.
“The missiles flew over the East Sea for more than 1,400 s, hitting the target line,” North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Thursday, confirming the test.
The agency did not specify how many missiles were fired or further details about them, merely describing them as the “new type of surface-to-surface missile ‘Sea Eagle-6’ to be equipped with the Navy.”
Kim, “expressed great satisfaction with the results of the inspection” and “suggested ways to forward deploy and strengthen the ground-to-sea missile forces to the maximum so as to reliably defend the maritime border,” KCNA added.
He also gave “important instructions to strengthen military readiness in the northern border areas of Yeonpyeong Island and Baeknyeong Island, where the enemy frequently invades destroyers, frigates, speedboats and other combat ships,” KCNA said.
“If the enemy violates the maritime border line recognized by the DPRK (North Korea’s official name), it will be regarded as an infringement on our sovereignty and an armed provocation,” Kim warned, according to KCNA.
Pyongyang does not recognize the Northern Limit Line (NLL). the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, drawn by the United Nations to prevent armed conflicts between the two Koreas after the signing of an armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
Three bloody skirmishes took place there in 1999, 2002 and 2009, while in 2010, Pyongyang fired a torpedo at a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors. EFE
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