North Korea has tested two new air defence missiles, with state media claiming the weapons showed “superior combat capability” in intercepting aerial threats.
The launches, conducted on Saturday but disclosed a day later, were said to demonstrate a “fast response” to targets such as drones and cruise missiles. The Korean Central News Agency offered no technical specifications and did not reveal where the tests took place, saying only that the systems were built on “unique and special technology.”
The announcement comes on the eve of a White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, underscoring the tense backdrop as Washington and Seoul continue annual joint military drills. Pyongyang has long denounced those exercises as rehearsals for invasion.
Tensions along the heavily fortified border have been rising. South Korea’s military said this week it fired warning shots after dozens of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the demarcation line. The United Nations Command, which monitors the armistice, placed the number at roughly 30.
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In remarks carried by state media, North Korean Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol called the incident a “premeditated and deliberate provocation” that risked pushing the region into what he described as an “uncontrollable phase.”
Kim Jong Un has sharpened his rhetoric in recent weeks, condemning the U.S.-South Korea drills as evidence of “hostile intent” and pledging to accelerate his nuclear programme. The latest missile tests appear calibrated to reinforce that message at a moment when both Washington and Seoul are tightening their military coordination.