DPRK stages first 'nuclear trigger' drills amid US-S.Korea air drill
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State-run KCNA says Kim Jong Un "guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen."
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This picture taken on April 22, 2024, and released by the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on April 23, 2024, shows DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (C) observing a virtual nuclear counterattack training exercise with a large "rocket artillery" unit, at an undisclosed location in the DPRK. (AFP)
The leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, has overseen the country's first-ever "nuclear trigger" drills, which involved simulating a nuclear counterattack as a warning to enemies, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed Tuesday.
The agency reported that the drills showcased the DPRK's "nuclear trigger" management system for the first time, indicating that this was the country's combined control system for its nuclear weapons.
The drills took place on Monday, according to the report. Seoul's military had earlier announced that Pyongyang 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," KCNA mentioned.
The rockets "hit their island target" some 352 kilometers (219 miles) away, the report said, saying Kim had expressed "great satisfaction" over the result, which boosted "the Korean-style tactical nuclear strike."
According to KCNA, 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.
The agency pointed out that the drills were in response to an ongoing US-South Korean joint air drill, which runs from April 12 to April 26.
The US and South Korean air forces said the annual exercises are aimed at "demonstrating lethality in the air domain and enhancing their ability to deter, defend, and defeat any adversary."
Pyongyang expressed that it is "seriously threatened by the hostile forces' ceaseless military provocations," adding that the DPRK needs to "more overwhelmingly and more rapidly bolster up the strongest military muscle" as a result.
The latest drills come after Russia exercised last month its veto power to block a Security Council resolution aimed at overseeing UN sanctions imposed on the DPRK.
On Friday, the DPRK tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said, with Seoul's military confirming it had detected cruise missile launches around the same time.
It has also ramped up testing, confirming in early April to have tested a new medium-to-long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile.
This year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.
Last year, the DPRK conducted a record number of missile tests. Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state in 2022.
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