North Korea launched a missile fitted with a mock nuclear warhead on Sunday.
The launch came as part of a simulated nuclear counter-attack against South Korea and the U.S.
- North Korea fired what analysts believe to have been a KN-23 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) toward the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast.
- The launch signaled a shift in North Korean tactics because it was fired from a buried silo.
- Pyongyang
has historically preferred to fire missiles from mobile launchers,
according to Yang Uk, a fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies
in Seoul.
- Using buried silos would improve the stability and
speed of future intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches,
according to analysts.
- The U.S. and South Korea launched their largest round of joint military drills in years last week.
- Pyongyang has criticized the drills, which it views as a rehearsal for an invasion.
- Washington bolstered its military activity on the Korean peninsula following an uptick in North Korean missile tests last year.
