According to state media, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un led a military maneuver to “simulate a nuclear counterattack” over the weekend. The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on Monday that this included the launch of a missile equipped with a dummy nuclear warhead.
Kim expressed his “satisfaction” with the drills, which were held “to familiarize relevant entities with the procedures and processes to implement their tactical nuclear strike mission,” KCNA said.
The exercises were Pyongyang’s fourth demonstration of power within a week as part of a joint maneuver by South Korea and the United States that began last Monday. The largest military exercise in five years is expected to last until Thursday.
Pyongyang sees the maneuvers as preparation for an invasion of North Korea and has repeatedly threatened “overwhelming measures”.
The maneuvers on Saturday and Sunday included drills simulating transition to a nuclear counterattack position and a drill to “launch a tactical ballistic missile armed with a mock nuclear warhead,” according to KCNA. “The missile was armed with a test warhead that replicated a nuclear warhead,” the agency later said, without giving any further details.
According to the South Korean General Staff, the short-range missile launched by North Korea landed in the sea. He spoke of a “serious provocation” that violated UN sanctions and announced an investigation by the secret services of the United States and South Korea.
Seoul and Washington have increased their defense cooperation in response to North Korea’s mounting military and nuclear threats.
