SEOUL: North Korea test-fired tactical ballistic missiles with a new autonomous navigation system into the Sea of Japan on Friday, the reclusive country’s state media said Saturday.

The accuracy and reliability of the new system were verified through the test-firing, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the test firing, emphasized the strategic value of the successful introduction of the autonomous navigation system and expressed great satisfaction, the KCNA said.

The South Korean military said Friday that North Korea launched several projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from around Wonsan in the eastern North Korean province of Kangwon on the day. The KCNA’s report apparently referred to the projectiles.

According to the KCNA, the test-firing was aimed at improving technologies for the new navigation system. But it did not mention the distance traveled by the projectiles or their flight routes. The South Korean military said that the suspected missiles flew a distance of about 300 kilometers.

JIJI Press