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Bloomberg
North Korea confirmed launches of four missiles this week, as Kim Jong Un ramped up weapons-testing to a record pace in an effort to signal displeasure with the US over economic sanctions.
The tests included the launch of two long-range cruise missiles Tuesday that flew for 1,800 kilometers before striking an island off the peninsula’s eastern coast, the official Korean Central News Agency said Friday. If confirmed, that would represent North Korea’s longest flight by a cruise missile, a weapon designed to fly low and maneuver to evade detection, and give Kim the capability to strike almost all of Japan.
North Korea also launched two missiles Thursday to “confirm†its ability to fire conventional warheads on surface-to-surface systems, KCNA said. South Korea had said earlier that projectiles traveled about 190 kms and were likely short-ranged ballistic missiles, which the United Nations has banned Pyongyang from launching due to their ability to carry nuclear warheads.
The two launches this week increased to six the number of major missile tests conducted by North Korea in January, making it the busiest month since Kim took power a decade ago. The 10 missiles fired off by the country this month, including two rockets topped with new hypersonic glide vehicles, already equal the total fired in all of last year.