North Korean leader stated that continuous modernization of artillery and tactical nuclear weapons is essential to reinforce the dissuasion and expand the operational capacities of the popular army
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un directly supervised a nuclear counterattack exercise, which included a long-range tactical and artillery test, state agency KCNA said.
The exercise, held on Thursday, mobilized 600 mm multiple rocket launchers, known internationally such as KN-25, and Hwasongpho-11ka tactical missiles, or KN-23, with the aim of training participating units in the operating procedures of these systems, within the National Nuclear Armation Management System.
Kim Jong-un stated that continuous modernization of artillery and tactical nuclear weapons is essential to reinforce the deterrent and expand the operational capabilities of the popular army.
Exercise demonstrates the capacity of the North Korean Armed Forces to quickly react to changes in the military situation, noted KCNA, in reference to the joint nuclear exercises that the United States and Allies performed in the region.
In April, Seoul and Washington carried out Iron Mace 25-1 to coordinate a joint response to nuclear threats.
Although the Pyongyang regime has presented exercise as a response to external tensions, it is possible to be a technical test to improve missiles. The presence of high employees involved in the development of weapons reinforces this hypothesis, wrote the Spanish news agency Efe.
The South Korean army detected several short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan’s eastern coastal city on Thursday, between 08:10 and 09:20 (00:10 and 01:20 in Lisbon), which ran up to 800 kilometers before falling into the East Sea.
In a statement, South Korea, Japan and the United States considered the launch a “threat to peace and regional and international security” and recalled that this type of tests violates the UN Security Council resolutions.
