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North Korea successfully tests long-range cruise missile: State media

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 14 Sep 2021, 10:51 am Print

North Korea successfully tests long-range cruise missile: State media North Korea

Image: Rodong Sinmun

Pyongyang/JEN: North Korea has successfully test-fired a new type long-range cruise missile over the weekend, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday.

Rodong Sinmun, which serves as the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in its report that the Academy of Defence Science of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had successfully tested the missiles on Sept 11 and 12.

"Pak Jong Chon, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, watched the test-launches with Kim Jong Sik and Jon Il Ho, vice department directors of the Party Central Committee," the state controlled newspaper reported.

Calling the newly tested missile 'a strategic weapon of great significance', the state media claimed that the launched long-range cruise missiles had traveled for 7580 seconds along an oval and pattern-8 flight orbits in the air above the territorial land and waters of the DPRK and hit targets 1500 km (930 miles) away.

CNN reported quoting US and South Korean officials that both the countries were looking into the long-range missile launch claim.

The US military's Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said in a statement that it was aware of reports of DPRK cruise missile launches.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our allies and partners," USINDOPACOM said in the statement.

"This activity highlights DPRK’s continuing focus on developing its military program and the threats that it poses to its neighbours and the international community. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad," the USINDOPACOM statement read.

Meanwhile, China's Global Times newspaper claimed that the People's Republic of China had urged North Korea to maintain restraint and start talks.

"We call on relevant parties to exercise restraint, meet each other half way, actively conduct dialogue and engagement, and follow the 'dual-track' approach and take phased and synchronized actions to continuously advance the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a routine press conference on Monday according to the Global Times.