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N. Korea's Thanksgiving Day test Demonstrates an Improvement in Speed for Missile Crews

SEOUL Article Content North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed "great satisfaction" regarding the latest test of a massive multiple-rocket launcher, the state media reported on Friday, a test that experts said showed the improved performance of the system as well as its crews.

North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Thursday in the fourth test of its new "super-large multiple-rocket launcher" South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said told a briefing.

N.Korea's Thanksgiving Day test demonstrates improved speed for missile crews. Back to video

The United States was reminded by Kim on Thanksgiving Day that Washington has an end-of-year deadline to meet in order to allow Kim to test the KN-25 missile.

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Content of the article Since August's reveal of the KN-25 test, a series tests have revealed that the North Koreans are steadily improving their capability to launch multiple rockets from mobile launch vehicles.

That capability makes it more likely that in the event of conflict, North Korean rocket crews could quickly deploy, fire and move, before being attacked by South Korean or American forces experts have said.

"The faster it fires, the quicker it can (get) out of dodge before counter-fire arrives," Jeffrey Lewis, researcher on missiles at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) stated on Twitter.

"READY to go"

In the initial two KN-25 tests in September and August, missiles were fired 17 minutes and 19 minutes apart, respectively, the JCS stated.
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Content of the article By the end of October, the crews had reduced the distance to three minutes, whereas on Thursday, the distance between the two missiles was only about 30 seconds.

"The test fire, which was intended to evaluate the final application of the super large multiple-launch rocket systems proved the military and technological superiority of this weapon and its firm reliability," KCNA stated.

Photos released by KCNA showed missiles being fired from a transporter-erector-launcher equipped with four launcher tubes.

Experts said that the new short-range missiles pose a direct threat against South Korea and U.S forces stationed there.

The missiles travelled up to 380 km (236 miles) and attained an altitude of 97 km according to the JCS which puts nearly all of South Korea within range.

Article content "North Korea is attempting to selectively modernize conventional force in a low-cost and high-efficiency fashion to concentrate on economics and to reassure its military as nuclear talks are taking place," said Kim Dongyub, an ex- South Korean Navy officer and professor at Kyungnam University, Seoul.

"The system is ready for mass production and deployment," said the latest test.

COUNT DOWN TO A DEADLINE

A spokesperson for Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations on Friday urged the North to stop any actions that could cause more tension and to resume dialogue.

Kim has set a close of year deadline to restart talks with the United States, which remain deadlocked after a last-month's working-level meeting.

Content of the article North Korea demonstrated progress in the development of conventional weapons while negotiating with Washington.

South Korean lawmakers said on Friday an intelligence agency reported an increase in movement of vehicles and equipment at the Tongchangri missile launch site that Pyongyang claimed it had destroyed in the past year.

Early this year, it was able to test new missiles that have similar features similar to Russia's SS-26 Iskander which are relatively smaller, but easier to conceal, launch and maneuver in flight.

North Korea has demanded biting sanctions be lifted and warned it could be on the "new path," raising concerns it could restart long-range and nuclear missile testing suspended since 2017.

U.S. top nuclear negotiator Stephen Biegun said last week the deadline for year-end negotiations was not real but it could signal the return to "provocative" steps that preceded the last two years of diplomacy. Titan launcher for mc (Reporting by Hyonhee S Shin and Josh Smith; Editing done by Sandra Maler & Stephen Coates