North Korea Holds Nuclear Counterattack Drills For First Time, Amid US-South Korea Air Exercises

North Korea carried out its first nuclear counterattack drills to simulate its “nuclear trigger” management system, guided by leader Kim Jong Un, as a clear warning to its enemies, state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday.

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Monday toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said.

As part of testing the nationwide nuclear management system, called “nuclear trigger”, its artillery forces joined the country’s first such drills in a show of diversified nuclear capabilities and protest against U.S. and South Korean “provocative and invasive” military exercises, KCNA reported.

The main purpose of the drill was to demonstrate the reliability, superiority, might and diverse means of the DPRK’s nuclear forces and to strengthen the nuclear forces both in quality and quantity, state media said.

It would be a clear warning signal to the enemies as it was conducted at a time when military confrontation against the DPRK is being committed in an extremely provocative and aggressive nature, it added.

Kim oversaw the simulation drills involving manoeuvring troops in nuclear counterattack posture, and firing artillery with mock nuclear warheads, in case nuclear crisis alerts were issued, according to KCNA.

“Through the drill, the reliability of the system of command, management, control and operation of the whole nuclear force was reexamined in a many-sided way and the action order and combat methods for making the super-large multiple rocket units rapidly switch over to nuclear counterattack were mastered,” the report said.

Kim highly praised the readiness of “the world’s best” tactical nuclear attack weapons, expressing satisfaction with the drills, state media said.

The reclusive state is believed to be preparing to launch another spy satellite, after successfully putting a reconnaissance satellite in orbit in November.

North Korea said last week that it had fired a strategic cruise missile to test a large warhead, and a new anti-aircraft missile.

(With inputs from Reuters)