Amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, North Korea is stepping up its nuclear threats towards neighbor South Korea and the US. The military, under the guidance of ruler Kim Jong Un, held a two-day “tactical exercise for a nuclear counterattack” including a missile test, the state-controlled media reported. The ballistic missile was armed with a dummy nuclear warhead.
The exercise was also reportedly intended to provide a “stronger warning” to the US and South Korea in light of their ongoing military drills. The governments in Washington and Seoul deny North Korea’s accusations that their joint military maneuvers are preparing an attack.
At the military exercise, Kim stressed that the relevant units should be perfectly prepared “to launch an immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack at any time”. Kim was quoted as saying that the exercise has improved the current war capability.
The exercise took place after the reports on Saturday and Sunday. The aim was to review the nuclear strike control system and test a tactical ballistic missile. Kim has repeatedly called for the expansion of his country’s nuclear power, which is subject to tough international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea) on Sunday. The test came just three days after North Korea retested an ICBM. The country has been banned from testing ICBMs and other ballistic missiles, which, depending on the design, can carry a nuclear warhead.
