North Korean military says it will continue missile test launches

According to Kyodo, on July 3, North Korea vowed to continue conducting test launches of tactical guided missiles, even in case the US accused this action as provocative, escalating tensions in the region.

A missile warhead is paraded by North Korean troops during a ceremony in Pyongyang. (Source: npr.org)

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a North Korean military spokesman as saying: "North Korea will continue to conduct high-precision tactical guided missile launching drills... This is an official exercise of supreme power."

The spokesman also warned that "those who provoke the sovereignty and dignity of this country will probably never escape the range of a series of high-precision firepower strike means, no matter who, where and what individual or organization they are targeted."

North Korea's statement came just a day after the country fired two short-range "projectiles" off its east coast.

This is the latest in a series of missile tests by North Korea ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Korea and a day after Seoul rejected Pyongyang's proposal to reduce tensions, including the cancellation of annual joint military exercises with the US./.

According to Vietnam +