In a display of military prowess, North Korea staged a simulated ‘nuclear counterattack’ drill on Monday, showcasing its arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles. The exercise, overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, according to the state-run KCNA news agency, involved super-large multiple rocket artillerymen. The missiles reportedly struck an island target at a distance of 352 kilometers (219 miles), leaving Kim ‘expressing great satisfaction.’
South Korea’s military reported that the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area, flying approximately 300 kilometers before landing in waters east of the Korean peninsula. Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with a government spokesman stating that one missile reached an altitude of 50 kilometers and landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
This latest test marks the second launch by Pyongyang in less than a week. On Friday, the North tested a ‘super-large warhead’ for a strategic cruise missile. Analysts speculate that North Korea may be testing cruise missiles for potential deployment to Russia for use in Ukraine. Seoul claims that Pyongyang has already shipped 7,000 containers of weapons to Moscow, despite UN sanctions prohibiting such actions.
North Korea has recently strengthened military ties with Russia, expressing gratitude for Moscow’s veto at the UN Security Council in March. Pyongyang has also intensified its testing program, claiming to have tested a new medium-to-long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile in early April.
Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, suggests that North Korea’s recent launches aim to advance its technical capabilities. ‘Monday’s launch appears to be part of its weapons development program that needs testing rather than ones that are fully developed,’ he remarked to AFP.
North Korea’s defiance of UN sanctions imposed since 2006 has resulted in a record number of missile tests last year. Moreover, Pyongyang declared itself an ‘irreversible’ nuclear weapons state in 2022.
