North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into its eastern sea on Monday as it begins to resume weapons demonstrations after a months-long hiatus that could have been forced by the coronavirus crisis in Asia, SIA reports.
The launches from an area near Wonsan came two days after North Korea's state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launches in a statement but couldn't immediately say how far the projectiles flew or whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery.
Kim had entered the New Year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of "gangster-like" U.S. sanctions and pressure, using a key ruling party meeting in late December to warn of "shocking" action over stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. But the lack of testing activity in past months had experts wondering whether the North was holding back its weapons displays while pushing a tough campaign to against the coronavirus, which state media has described as a matter of "national existence."
Kim's latest show of force is apparently aimed at boosting military morale, strengthening internal unity and showing that his country is doing fine despite outside worries of how the North would contend with an outbreak. Following the collapse in Hanoi, the North ended a 17-month pause in ballistic activity and conducted at least 13 rounds of weapons launches last year, using the standstill in talks to expand its military capabilities.
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