North Korea warns it will use Pacific as 'firing range'

• Published date: 28 February 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, Monday, claiming they are capable of carrying nuclear warheads that can destroy military air bases in South Korea.

The latest provocation came two days after the North launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, which prompted Seoul and Washington to deploy fighter aircraft including B-1B bombers on joint drills in the skies over South Korea's western sea.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the artillery unit of its military fired two shots from a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, aimed at targets 395 kilometers and 337 kilometers away, respectively. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that it detected the missiles fired from Sukchon, a western coastal town near Pyongyang, and provided a similar assessment of the distances.

Analysts say North Korea's latest provocation appears to have targeted two military facilities ? Cheongju Air Base and Kunsan (Gunsan) Air Base ? located approximately 350 kilometers and 400 kilometers from the launch point, respectively. The facilities house dozens of South Korean and U.S. fighter jets.

KCNA said that the rocket launchers ? each loaded with four shots ? were aimed at military air bases in South Korea, claiming that they can carry tactical nuclear weapons.

Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, again blamed South Korea and the U.S. for fueling tensions on the peninsula with their plans for combined military exercises.

"The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the U.S.," she said in a statement through KCNA.

She added that North Korea is closely observing the movements of U.S. strategic assets, vowing to take "corresponding counteraction" to what it deems...