North Korea fires railway-borne missile
Images released by KCTV on Thursday show North Korea testing a new railway-borne missile system on Wednesday. The missiles flew approximately 800km and hit a target out in the East Sea.
North Korea says it successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time and is continuing to bolster its defenses.
Wednesday’s launches underscores a return of tensions in the region highlighting a regional arms race that is intensifying as the China-US rivalry grows amid a prolonged stalemate in US-led talks to strip North Korea of its nuclear weapons program.
Within 24 hours this week, North Korea fired off two railway-borne weapons, South Korea successfully tested its first submarine-launched ballistic missile, and Australia announced the unprecedented purchase of state-of-the-art US nuclear-powered submarines and cruise missiles.
A remarkable flurry, but indicative of a region spending apace on the latest wonders of modern weaponry, experts say.
Last year alone, the Asia and Oceania region lavished more than half a trillion US dollars on its militaries, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
