N. Korea says railway-based regiment conducted firing drill with 2 guided missiles hitting target in East Sea

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Saturday its railway-based missile regiment conducted a firing drill a day earlier, with two tactical guided missiles hitting a set target in the East Sea.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the drill was aimed at "checking and judging the proficiency in the action procedures" of the unit, a day after the South Korean military announced the launches of two apparent ballistic missiles.

"The regiment received a firepower mission at short notice from the General Staff in the morning on Friday before swiftly moving to the firing ground, and precisely struck the set target in the East Sea of Korea with two tactical guided missiles," the KCNA said.

The drill was supervised by commanding officers of the Korean People's Army and leading officials of the Academy of Defense Science, the KCNA added.

The latest saber-rattling marks the North's third show of force this year and came days after the United States slapped sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the recalcitrant regime's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs Wednesday.

Pyongyang fired what it purports to be a hypersonic missile on Jan. 5 and Tuesday, in an apparent continued quest for the development of new advanced weapons amid a deadlock in nuclear talks with Washington.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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