Photo : YONHAP News
The presidential office says it believes North Korea’s launch of multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday was aimed at testing missile models intended for export to Russia.
A senior official at the top office told reporters that the large-sized artillery that the North fired on Thursday could be categorized as short-range missiles.
The official said the launches are also believed to have been intended to send a message to South Korea that the North will continue to present threats.
In regards to the North’s trash-carrying balloons, the official said the North appears to be sending the balloons on the principle of responding to anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets flown into the North by South Korean defector groups.
The official said the balloons have posed fire risks as electronic devices attached to the balloons have malfunctioned, adding that the government will keep a close eye and prepare thoroughly.