김정은, 공군부대 시찰 이어 '신형 전술유도무기' 사격시험 참관
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un increasingly appears to be placing his focus back on the regime’s military activities.
Following his visit to an air force unit on Tuesday,... Kim supervised a test-firing of what the North called "a new-type tactical guided weapon."
Our Oh Jung-hee talked to some experts for Kim’s possible motives.
North Korea has developed a new tactical guided weapon... and Kim Jong-un supervised the test-fire of it.
That's according to Pyeongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Thursday.
The test-fire was conducted by the regime's defense science academy.
Kim Jong-un assessed... that having this new weapon means a lot in upping the regime's combat power.
It's not clear... what exactly this 'new tactical guided weapon' is.
But Pyeongyang's media says... the test-fire was conducted in "various modes of firing at different targets"... and the weapon peculiarly guides flight and loads a powerful warhead.
Seoul's military says it's still analyzing the new weapon's test.
But military officials say,... the regime's test-fire on Wednesday was not detected on the South's radar system-- which means the missile flies on a low altitude and has a short range.
Pundits believe... it could be a short-range ground-to-ground precision guided missile,... or a multi-purposed cruise missile, though more is to be analyzed after Pyeongyang reveals photos or footage.
"A guided missile can either be a ballistic missile or a cruise missile. But I believe that the North's new weapon would be a cruise missile. That's because ballistic missiles are banned by the international sanctions resolutions. And the missiles flew at a low-altitude, not being detected through the radar."
On the day before the test, Kim reviewed a flight exercise at an air force unit.
Kim made military-related visits for two days in a row this week,... after warning the U.S. last week that Pyeongyang won't give in to sanctions.
Observers say... Kim wants to pressure Trump at low-key.
But they also point out, he may be wanting to develop conventional weapons to the fullest to gain deterrence,... after halting its nuclear weapons development program.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.