North Korea Tests Missile Navigation, Vows Nuclear Buildup

North Korea Tests New Missile Navigation System, Vows Nuclear Buildup.

North Korea announced it had successfully test-fired a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a "new autonomous navigation system" under the watch of leader Kim Jong Un. The launch into the East Sea aimed to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the guidance technology, state media KCNA reported.

The test was the latest in an escalating streak by the nuclear-armed nation, which has fired cruise missiles, tactical rockets and hypersonic weapons in recent months as part of efforts to upgrade its defenses, according to Pyongyang.

The missile launch came hours after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, denied allegations by South Korea and the US that North Korea is shipping weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

Seoul's military had detected "several flying objects presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles" fired around 300 km into waters between the two Koreas and Japan.

Kim Jong Un expressed "great satisfaction" over the successful navigation system test, KCNA said. In a separate report, it quoted him vowing to "more rapidly bolster the nuclear force" to occupy a "remarkably raised strategic position" by 2025 when a munitions plan is completed.

The launches likely aimed to grab the attention of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to ally China, experts said, as North Korea eyes benefits from closer ties with Moscow amid tensions with Seoul and Washington over its weapons program.

The tests highlight concerns that new Cold War dynamics are encouraging North Korea's nuclear ambitions as it rejects UN restraints with Beijing and Moscow's backing. Pyongyang has cut off reunification bodies and threatened war over territorial issues with Seoul.