North Korea test-fired its latest anti-aircraft missile system on Thursday at a launch overseen by its leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported.
Mr Kim thanked the research group for the anti-aircraft missile system which the test-firing showed was “highly reliable” and carried an “advantageous” combat response, the North Korean state media reported.
While KCNA did not directly mention the research groups who helped North Korea develop an anti-aircraft missile system, experts said Pyongyang might be receiving help from Russia, especially as their security ties become increasingly entwined.
This was North Korea’s sixth weapons testing activity this year and coincided with the annual training between the US and South Korean militaries.
After the launch, the North Korean leader also said that the Korean People’s Army will be equipped with another major defence weapon system with laudable combat performance.
The production of the anti-missile defence system has already begun and the test was carried out by North Korea’s missile administration to examine its performance.
The report did not mention where the test was held but said that Mr Kim was joined by members of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
Photos of the anti-missile defence system test-launch showed a plume from a missile soaring into the sky followed by a mid-air explosion – likely indicating interception of a projectile.
Mr Kim was seen observing the test and smiling in the photographs shared by the KCNA.
North Korea has publicly aided the Ukraine war by sending tens of thousands of its troops to fight alongside Russian troops in Kursk where Ukrainian soldiers launched a daring incursion in August last year, and also shipped heavy weapons including artillery and ballistic missiles.
Russia has, in return, responded to North Korea’s defence demands, says Shin Seung-ki, head of research on North Korea’s military at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.
“In the past North Korea has introduced Soviet weapon systems and developed weapons based on them, and it is highly likely that Russia has given correspondingly what North Korea demands because of the strengthening of cooperation,” said Mr Shin.
He also pointed out that while Pyongyang manufactured and developed ballistic missiles on its own, it is far harder to produce interceptor missiles without any external help.
“It’s much more complicated because there’s not just missiles, but a detection and tracking radar, and there’s a command and control system,” Mr Shin said.
Russia had provided North Korea with anti-air missiles and air defence equipment in return for sending troops to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, according to South Korea’s national security adviser last year. Seoul and Washington have earlier voiced worries about possible Russian transfers of sensitive nuclear and missile technology to North Korea.
This comes as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s top security adviser Sergei Shoigu reached North Korea on Friday and is set to meet Mr Kim, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.
While the details of the Russian official’s visit to North Korea are not immediately clear, Mr Shoigu’s trip could be related to Mr Kim’s possible trip to Russia, some observers say.
Mr Shoigu, who served as Russia’s defence minister until last May and secretary of the Security Council since then, has earlier made visits to Pyongyang as North Korea allegedly geared up to deploy soldiers to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine.