LOC09:42
06:42 GMT
TOKYO, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- North Korea tested a railway-borne missile system on the previous day, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday, a day after Japan and South Korea said the North launched two ballistic missiles into waters.
"The railway-borne missile regiment took part in the drill with a mission to strike the target area 800 km away from its location after moving to the central mountainous area at dawn on Sept15," the report said.
"The test firing drill took place for the purpose of confirming the practicality of the railway-borne missile system deployed for action for the first time, of judging the combat readiness and capability of performing firepower duty of the newly-organized regiment all of a sudden and of attaining proficiency in the action procedures in case of fighting an actual war," it said.
The missiles accurately struck the target in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in the drill guided by Pak Jong-chon, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not oversee the test. The country "organized a railway-borne missile regiment to increase the capability of dealing an intensive multi-concurrent blow at the forces posing threats to us at a time of conducting necessary military operations and to markedly improve the capability for more positively coping with various sorts of threats," the news agency added.
Wednesday's test came after Pyongyang said Monday it test-fired a new type of long-range cruise missile over the weekend. Under the UN Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from all ballistic missile activity. (end)
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