by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Following a stated aim of its leader Kim Jong Un to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program, North Korea was detected test-firing two ballistic missiles this week, the Associated Press reports. North Korea has intensified its weapons testing activities in the last two years in an apparent effort to expand its arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the US and South Korea.
Japan announced Wednesday that it had detected the North Korean launches and that the missiles apparently fell into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, AP reports.
“The launches come days after North Korea offered a rare view into a secretive facility built to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs in a significant show of defiance against the United States and as leader Kim Jong Un called for a rapid expansion of his nuclear weapons program,” AP noted in its report.
“Analysts say North Korea could conduct a nuclear test explosion or long-range missile test ahead of the US presidential election in November with the intent of influencing the outcome and increasing its leverage in future dealings with the new U.S. administration,” AP added.
This week’s launches followed a round of ballistic tests that North Korea conducted last week, AP said.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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