N Korea holds first ever 'nuclear trigger' drills, simulates nuclear counterattack
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen unprecedented drills simulating a nuclear counterattack amid joint military exercises by the US and South Korea.
Kim on Monday "guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen," the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday.
It added that the rockets "hit their island target," some 352 kilometers away.
According to the report, the drills showcased North Korea's "nuclear trigger" management system for the first time.
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.
Kim had expressed "great satisfaction" over the result of the drills, which boosted "the Korean-style tactical nuclear strike", the news agency said.
According to KCNA, the drills came in response to a US-South Korean joint air drill, which kicked off on April 12 and will run until April 26.
North Korea says it is "seriously threatened by the hostile forces' ceaseless military provocations", therefor, it needs to "more overwhelmingly and more rapidly bolster up the strongest military muscle," KCNA said on Tuesday, adding that Pyongyang believes such military maneuvers amount to a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korea’s leader has repeatedly said his government is building up its military arsenal in preparation for war by the West that could "break out at any time" on the peninsula.
The launch is the second in less than a week by Pyongyang, which on Friday tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile.
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