North Korean leader Kim Jong Un flexed his military muscles again Monday, as his country fired more than 100 rockets and artillery shells into the sea near the border with South Korea, just a day after firing two ballistic missiles over the peninsula.
The young North Korean leader has steadily been ratcheting up tensions with his neighbors since he took over from his father, Kim Jong Il, two and a half years ago, leading to perceptions in Washington that he is both erratic and weak.
While his father tended to keep his powder dry for times when he really needed to lodge a protest, the younger Kim has presided over almost 100 such missile and artillery launches this year alone, according to South Korean officials.
On Monday, North Korea fired about 100 artillery shells into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, from a launch site on its east coast, just a few hundred yards from the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.
Some traveled as far as 30 miles and landed within one mile of the Northern Limit Line, the countries’ de facto maritime border, but did not cross into southern waters, said Um Hyo-sik, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The shelling appeared to be part of a military drill, he said.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB