North Korea says it test launched missiles from train
The HinduNorth Korea on January 15 said it test launched ballistic missiles from a train in what was seen as an apparent retaliation against fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration. The report by the North state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North firing two missiles into the sea in its third weapons launch this month. The launch came hours after Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement berating the United States for imposing new sanctions over the North’s previous tests and warned of stronger and more explicit action if Washington maintains its “confrontational stance.” North Korea in recent months has been ramping up tests of new missiles designed to overwhelm missile defenses in the region amid pandemic-related border closures and a freeze in nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Firing a missile from a train could add mobility, but some experts say North Korea’s simple rail networks running through its relatively small territory would be quickly destroyed by enemies during a crisis. The announcement by the Treasury Department came just hours after North Korea said Kim oversaw a successful test of a hypersonic missile on Tuesday that he claimed would greatly increase the country’s nuclear “war deterrent.” Tuesday’s test was North Korea’s second demonstration of its purported hypersonic missile in a week.