Korean Central Television (KCTV) reported that on January 6, Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, observed a test launch of a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile by the Missile General Bureau through a remote video monitoring system. KCTV screen capture. [The Financial News] The Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS) announced on the 14th that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had launched an unidentified projectile into the East Sea. If the DPRK projectile is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it would be the first such launch in 47 days and the third this year. Earlier, on January 27, the DPRK fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea.
The ROK JCS is analyzing the specifications, flight range, and other details of the DPRK projectile. South Korea–United States forces are currently conducting the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise "Freedom Shield (FS)" from March 9 to 19 to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. The latest DPRK move is viewed as a show of force in protest against the ongoing South Korea–United States FS combined exercise.
On March 9, the first day of the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise "Freedom Shield (FS)," a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter maneuvers at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi Province. Newsis News Agency. wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yoon Reporter
