North Korea has test-fired newly deployed anti-ship rockets - three short-range KN-01 type missiles - with a reported range of 120km just weeks after the country claimed it tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, , the North's media said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has watched a test-firing drill of a new type of anti-ship rocket, which is being deployed at the military's naval units.
Kim watched the drill of the "ultra-modern" rockets that flew at the designated altitude while accurately detecting and hitting the "enemy" warship, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"North Korea on June 14 fired three KN-01 missiles near North Korea's eastern city towards sea off east of the peninsula," the South Korean Defense Ministry official said.
The “highly intelligent” rockets accurately detected and hit their target in what Kim called a “milestone” in bolstering the naval force, the official KCNA said.
According to Xinhua, three ‘KN-01′ missiles were launched in a span of 26 minutes from Wonsan area, which is a major port on the country’s east coast, and flew for about 100 kilometres.
According to globalsecurity.org, the KN-01 sufface-to-surface missile has a range of 120 kilometers, about 75 miles. It is based on an improved version of the Soviet-era Termite missile.
North Korea first test-fired such missiles years ago, at least according to reports from the South Korean government. The Global Security website quotes the South Korean Ministry of Defense as saying that North Korea conducted "10 test launches of its KN-01 anti-ship cruise missile between February 2003 and June 2007."
The missile launches are the first reported since North Korea surprised observers on May 9 by showing off an emerging submarine-launched based ballistic missile capability.