北 "김정은 지도하에 신형 대구경조종방사포 발사"... 합참 분석과 달라
Many were surprised by North Korea's launch yesterday of a second round of missiles in the space of a week.
The North says it was a testing new rocket system, however, rather than a new rocket.
And it says the launch was overseen personally by Kim Jong-un.
Oh Jung-hee has the latest.
North Korea says it test-fired a "newly-developed, large-caliber multiple-launch guided rocket system" on Wednesday,... countering South Korean military's analysis.
On Thursday, Pyeongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency released a report on Wednesday's rocket test.
It said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the test-firing of a newly-developed multiple rocket launcher.
The report added that the system has met its test requirements and proved its combat effectiveness.
The KNCA further added... that Kim Jong-un was pleased with the test-launch,... and said the weapon would be a "worrisome reminder" to those who might fall under its crosshairs.
The report didn't clarify who that target may be.
But speculation is that the North is once again taking aim at South Korea for its joint military exercises with the U.S.,... scheduled for later this month.
But unlike last week, Pyeongyang didn't explicitly say that the launch was an intended show of force, instead describing it as a simple test.
What the North says it fired a multiple launch guided rocket system is different from the South Korean military's analysis,... which announced that North Korea had fired a short-range ballistic missile,... on the day of the launch on Wednesday.
Despite the latest reports from North Korea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff have stuck by their original analysis.
"Intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S. see that the projectiles fired yesterday have similar flight characteristics to that of a new type of short-range ballistic missiles fired last week. We are still closely analyzing the data."
The multiple rocket launchers and short-range ballistic missiles have similar ranges,... and therefore it is possible that the military could have confused the two.
But, the South Korean military's analysis, which could have been wrong, came on the same day Seoul's defense minister showed confidence... that the military has secured high-tech systems to detect and defend against North Korean threats.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
