North Korea fired two “tactical guided missiles” from a train-mounted ballistic missile system on Friday, according to state media, with leader Kim Jong Un reportedly not present for the launch.

The “surprise” drill was carried out by the Academy of Defence Science in the northwest of the country to test the “combat readiness” of the Railway-borne Missile Regiment of North Phyongan Province, the state-run Voice of Korea (VOK) reported on Saturday.

North Korea first introduced its train-based missile system in a Sept. 2021 test, and Friday’s drill appeared to utilize the same type of short-range ballistic missile.

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