North Korea said its leader Kim Jong Un watched joint drills on Thursday involving ballistic missiles and long-range artillery systems.
The Friday edition of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that a 600-millimetre multi-layered missile system and a Hwasong-11-Ka tactical ballistic missile were used in the drills.
The report said that training was conducted prior to the firing to ensure that military personnel mastered the procedures and processes for quickly transitioning to a nuclear counterattack mode.
Kim Jong Un reportedly stressed the need to steadily strengthen the key role of nuclear forces in all aspects of the war deterrence and war strategy.
The report also noted that Kim stressed the importance of continuously improving the combat readiness of nuclear forces.
South Korean military officials said on Thursday that North Korea had launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan. South Korean officials stressed that the launches could have been a test of technical characteristics related to North Korea’s arms exports to Russia.
