North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the country’s first-ever “nuclear trigger” drills, state-run KCNA news agency said on Tuesday (Apr 23), which involved simulating a nuclear counterattack as a warning to enemies.
The drills showcased North Korea’s “nuclear trigger” management system for the first time, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, adding this was the country’s combined control system for its nuclear weapons.
The drill took place on Monday, according to the report. Seoul’s military had earlier announced that the North had fired several short-range ballistic missiles that day, with Tokyo also confirming the launch.
Kim “guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen,” the report said.
The rockets “hit their island target” about 352km away, it continued, saying Kim had expressed “great satisfaction” over the result, which boosted “the Korean-style tactical nuclear strike”.
The drill examined “the reliability of the system of command, management, control and operation of the whole nuclear force” and ensured the super-large multiple rocket units had “mastered” the ability to switch into nuclear counterattack mode, KCNA said.
KCNA said the drills were in response to a US-South Korean joint air drill, which runs from Apr 12 to Apr 26.
(CNA)
