News / Koreas

North Korea shows off 'war posture' of its nuclear forces

Friday, 24 February 2023 3:08 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 February 2023 3:08 AM ]

File photo shows North Korea showing off its strategic military assets during a parade in the capital Pyongyang.

North Korea has test-fired four strategic cruise missiles as means of displaying the readiness of the country's nuclear force for taking on "hostile forces."

The Korean People's Army tested the "Hwasal-2" missiles on Thursday from the area of Kim Chaek City, North Hamgyong Province, towards the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea)'s nuclear combat force, bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," the report added.

The missiles hit a preset target after traveling the "2000-kilometer (1,242.7-mile)-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds," it noted.

The North has been conducting several missile launches throughout the past week, timing them precisely around joint aerial war games involving the United States and South Korea.

The exercises were held on Sunday witnessing South Korea's F-35A, F-15K and US F-16 warplanes escorting American B-1B bombers.

US, South Korea stage joint air exercise after North’s ICBM launch

The United States and South Korea hold a joint air exercise involving US strategic bombers, a day after North Korea fired a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a "sudden launching drill".

Right before the drills, North Korea confirmed that it had carried out a "sudden intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in order to test its missile force's combat readiness for counterattack."

North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of 'fatal nuclear counterattack' capacity

North Korea says has conducted a sudden intercontinental ballistic missile launch to test the ICBM units

And on Monday, the North said it had fired at least two ballistic missiles, while Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned that Pyongyang might step up its military activities in response to increased presence of US' strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea fires more ballistic missiles, warns may turn Pacific into 'firing range'

North Korea fires more ballistic missiles in response to US military presence on the peninsula, warning it may turn the Pacific into a "firing range."

"We are carefully examining the influence it would exert on the security of our state," she said, adding, "The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the US forces' action character."

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