North Korea says latest missile test was a simulated nuclear counterattack

North Korea on Monday described its latest ballistic missile launch as a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea.

A report by the official Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang came after South Korean and Japanese forces detected on Sunday that North Korea had launched a short-range ballistic missile into waters off its east coast. An hour before the U.S. flew long-range B-1B bombers for joint training with South Korean fighter jets as part of the allies’ biggest joint exercise in years, which the US accuses as a rehearsal for a potential invasion. It was held on..

KCNA said the missile, which flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and was fitted with a simulated nuclear warhead, said the test reassured the reliability of the weapon’s nuclear detonation control and warhead detonator. He said the launch was the final phase of his two-day training, which includes nuclear command and control exercises and training military units to more quickly transition to a nuclear counterattack posture.

Kim, whose state media photos showed him attending the missile launch with his daughter, said he hoped his forces would be “more fully prepared with a positive attitude to deliver an immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack at any time.” To do so, he instructed the military to consistently conduct such exercises that simulate real war situations.

Kim Jong-un said the enemy’s “aggression moves are becoming more conspicuous than ever” and stressed the need to strengthen nuclear deterrence “exponentially”, further developing nuclear forces and promoting war. presented an unspecified “strategic agenda” to improve preparedness for He said. This indicates that North Korea may hold weapons demonstrations in the coming weeks or months.

Sunday’s short-range launch was North Korea’s fifth missile launch this month and the third since US and South Korean forces began joint exercises on March 13. Its kind since 2018.

North Korea’s series of tests this year included a number of short-range missiles launched from land vehicles, a cruise missile launched from a submarine and two different flights of intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from a major airport near the capital Pyongyang. A test was included. It demonstrates a dual capability to launch nuclear strikes on South Korea and the US mainland.

up to date ICBM test last Thursday Hours before South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol traveled to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, between the often estranged US allies in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat. It was partly aimed at restructuring the security relationship between the two countries.

North Korea is emerging from a strong position that is already set to have a record year in testing activity with more than 70 missile launches in 2022.

North Korea dialed up a weapons demonstration last year when allies were conducting joint exercises, including numerous missile and artillery launches that it described as simulated nuclear strikes against South Korean and US targets. One of the missiles North Korea launched in November flew in the direction of South Korea’s populous island of Ulleungdo, setting off air raid sirens and forcing residents to evacuate. It responded quickly by firing its own missiles into border areas.

North Korea has long portrayed U.S.-South Korea military exercises as rehearsals for aggression, but allies describe those exercises as defensive. It said it was using rival exercises as a pretext to aggressively expand its military capabilities.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency public meeting for Monday morning at the request of the United States, United Kingdom, Albania, Ecuador, France and Malta in response to North Korea’s ICBM launch on March 16. bottom.

The United Nations Security Council held an informal meeting on Friday at which the United States, its allies and human rights experts spotlighted North Korea’s dire rights situation. China and Russia have denounced the talks as a politicized move likely to further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations issued a statement on Sunday saying that a conference on “a ‘human rights issue’ that does not exist for us” was illegal. It also said the US held Friday’s meeting “while conducting aggressive joint military exercises that pose a grave threat to US national security.”