N. Korea fires missiles on Korean War anniversary as Trump extends national emergency over Pyongyang threat

North Korea marked the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War by again claiming the South fired the first shots, while also announcing it had test-fired ballistic missiles designed to strike targets in the South. The weapons test became known through North Korean state media; South Korea's military did not notify the press.

KCNA reported that Kim Jong-un observed "an important weapons test organized by defense science research institutions" on Thursday, in line with a five-year defense development plan to modernize artillery and missile forces.

The agency said the tests evaluated "the combat characteristics of an upgraded 240mm 24-tube multiple rocket launcher system, the destructive power of a special-mission warhead on a tactical ballistic missile, and the accuracy of extended-range rounds for a 155mm self-propelled howitzer."

The upgraded 24-tube multiple rocket launcher system was described as having fully automated fire-control systems and an autonomous precision guidance system, with a range extended to 90 kilometers, making it an improved corps-level fire system.

The special-mission warhead for the tactical ballistic missile is designed for "the lethal destruction of key targets including enemy airfields, ports and power facilities," KCNA said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the North firing more than 10 projectiles, including multiple rocket launchers, on Thursday but assessed that no ballistic missiles had been launched and therefore issued no separate public notice. Because ballistic missile launches by North Korea violate UN Security Council resolutions, the South Korean military has typically disclosed such launches to the media as soon as they are detected.

A JCS official said "detailed specifications are being precisely analyzed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities," adding that the military is "closely monitoring related North Korean activities and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation."

Kim expressed satisfaction with the test results, saying the Saturday tests of division- and corps-level fire systems "proved and confirmed the great technological progress achieved in realizing the three principles of automation, long-range capability and ultra-precision" in line with the ruling party's military-building policy on changing the fire posture along the southern border.

He also argued the arms buildup was justified, saying "today's international situation makes it unnecessary to add any rhetorical explanation as to why the defense-building project is an indispensable, top-priority national strategic undertaking."

On the anniversary itself, North Korea also repeated its claim that the South started the Korean War and promoted "revenge-pledge rallies" among students and youth, stoking anti-American and anti-South Korean sentiment.

The Rodong Sinmun ran a front-page editorial titled "Let us all become staunch defenders of the revolution and vanguard fighters of the class, firmly armed with anti-imperialist class consciousness."

The editorial called on citizens to arm themselves with a resolute anti-American fighting spirit, urging them to "prepare themselves as fierce defenders of the revolution and vanguard fighters of the class, filled with soaring hatred and the will to annihilate the US imperialists and class enemies, so as to achieve a decisive victory in the anti-imperialist, anti-American confrontation and glorify our-style socialism forever."

A separate commentary on page six, headlined "US imperialism is the provocateur of the Korean War," repeated the claim that the June 25, 1950 war was a "southward invasion" carried out according to a meticulous American script.

The paper claimed that "in the early dawn of June 25, 1950, the South Korean puppet army launched an armed invasion against our republic," and that as a result "our people and army had no choice but to wage a stern 1,129-day war to defend the homeland in order to repel the imperialist armed aggression and protect their destiny and future."

The paper flatly denied the legitimacy of UN forces joining the war under a Security Council resolution, calling it "entirely in accordance with the US imperialist script and completely illegal."

"Revenge-pledge rallies" aimed at stoking hostility toward the United States and South Korea were held across North Korea, continuing from the previous day.

According to KCNA, officials and members of the Korean Democratic Women's Union gathered Wednesday at the Central Class Education Hall in Pyongyang, where they "sternly condemned the eternal crimes of US imperialism in the name of all mothers and women of the country."

At an outdoor theater in Pyongyang's Youth Park, participants at a rally for young students said the Korean War was started by a "southward invasion" by "US imperialism," declaring that "every time June 25 comes around, bringing unheard-of catastrophe to our homeland, our soaring hatred for the sworn enemy, US imperialism, boils over even more."

Meanwhile, the White House announced Thursday local time that US President Donald Trump had extended by one year a national emergency declaration over threats posed by North Korea.

Trump said "the existence and risk of proliferation of weapons-grade fissile material on the Korean Peninsula, and the actions and policies of the North Korean government, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," and announced he would extend the national emergency for one year.