Kim Oversees North Korea's First 'nuclear Trigger' Drills

Seoul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Apr, 2024) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the country's first ever "nuclear trigger" drills, state-run KCNA news agency said Tuesday, which involved simulating a nuclear counterattack as a warning to enemies.

The drills showcased North Korea's "nuclear trigger" management system for the first time, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, adding this was the country's combined control system for its nuclear weapons.

The drill took place on Monday, according to the report. Seoul's military had earlier announced that the North 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," the report said.

The rockets "hit their island target" some 352 kilometres (219 miles) away, it continued, saying Kim had expressed "great satisfaction" over the result, which boosted "the Korean-style tactical nuclear strike".

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, KCNA said.

KCNA said the drills were in response to a 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 would serve for "demonstrating lethality in the air domain, and enhancing their ability to deter, defend, and defeat any adversary."

Pyongyang claims it is "seriously threatened by the hostile forces' ceaseless military provocations" KCNA said Tuesday.

As a result, the North needs to "more overwhelmingly and more rapidly bolster up the strongest military muscle," it added.