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Recent testsPyongyang sparks “tactical nuclear” simulations
An official North Korean agency said on Monday that the missile launches in recent weeks were “tactical nuclear” simulations overseen by Kim Jong Un.
Pictures of Kim Jong-un in Tokyo on October 4, 2022.
AFP
“Korean People’s Army (KPA) units responsible for the use of tactical nuclear weapons conducted military exercises from September 25 to October 9 to test and evaluate the country’s nuclear deterrence and counterattack capability,” KCNA wrote.
The agency justified the drills by US-South Korean joint military maneuvers in the region, an “unfortunate approach that creates an overt military threat to North Korea while further aggravating tensions in the region”. KCNA added that the seven missile launches carried out by North Korea in the past two weeks were exercises that “simulated real war”.
“Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of its Central Military Commission, conducted military exercises there,” the state agency said.
While North Korea’s disarmament talks have long stalled, Pyongyang has stepped up its weapons tests since the start of the year. In particular, Japan launched a ballistic missile last week for the first time in five years.
Many experts and officials believe North Korea has completed preparations for a new nuclear test, the seventh in its history and the first since 2017.
(AFP)