North Korea said today (Monday) that it conducted a joint live-fire exercise that included missiles, a directorate, and drones, and claimed that it demonstrated “tremendous destructive power.”
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday's training was aimed at getting used to the operating procedures of the integrated firepower control system.
The South Korean Army Chief of Staff had previously said that it had detected the launch of short-range ballistic missiles from the eastern coastal area of Wonsan in North Korea on Saturday morning.
After watching the training, Marshal Pak Jong-chun said that the training would “raise the level of specialization to overthrow the enemy’s armed forces, organizationally and structurally, as soon as the order is issued.” He added that the weapon systems that were moved demonstrated the "tremendous destructive power of concentrated fire," according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that several missiles were launched on Saturday, each flying a distance of 250 kilometers towards North Korea's eastern waters. The flight distances indicate that the weapons are designed to strike targets inside South Korea.
The firing exercise represented the first announced launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea in about three weeks.
Last month, US President Donald Trump restricted the scope of a major bilateral military exercise with South Korea, citing what he described as the good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This is an apparent attempt to revive diplomacy between them, but North Korea rejected Trump's gesture, saying that reducing the training does not change its "provocative and aggressive nature."
The military-backed government of Myanmar on Sunday considered that its ambassador to the United Nations - who is loyal to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi - is holding his position illegally, while the international organization prepares to consider the issue of replacing him.
Myanmar has been witnessing a civil war since a military coup in 2021 led to the overthrow of the elected government headed by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, ending the country's decade-long experiment with democracy, according to the Jakarta Post.
The United Nations set up a credentials committee this month to decide whether to accept Myanmar's candidate for UN ambassador or stick with Kyaw Moe Tun, who rejected the coup and for more than five years ignored government claims that he no longer represents Myanmar.
The Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Kyaw Moe Tun was “removed from civil service” retroactively as of February 27, 2021, for failure to comply with government orders, committing high treason, and colluding with “terrorist organizations,” according to a statement published in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
A day before his dismissal, he made an emotional appeal during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, demanding that “the strongest possible action” be taken against the military coup.
On Sunday, the Chinese capital, Beijing, announced new rules prohibiting the possession of drones within the city limits, further tightening regulations related to these aircraft, which already included a ban on their sale imposed in May. According to the Associated Press news agency, the possession ban will go into effect in mid-November.
Beijing had banned the flights of unauthorized drones for security reasons, and classified the city’s administrative area as “restricted airspace.”
These latest revised rules follow a fatal accident in late June, when a small plane crashed into a skyscraper in Beijing, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people.
Under regulations that took effect on May 1, current drone owners in Beijing must register their devices with their real names and identities, while allowing them to keep their registered drones, according to strict requirements.
However, according to the revised regulations, which will take effect from November 15, the possession or storage of drones or their main components within the city limits of Beijing will also be prohibited.
The authorities have the power to confiscate the drones of those who do not comply with the rules, and can impose fines on individuals and companies.
Beijing authorities will provide financial subsidies to current drone owners to sell their devices on designated buyback sites, according to the state-owned Beijing Daily newspaper.
Owners can also consider dismantling and recycling their planes in exchange for a small subsidy, or shipping them out of Beijing before the new rules take effect.
Users of drones can still operate them outdoors in other areas of the country, provided they commit to registering using real names.
