North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led drills “simulating a nuclear counterattack” over the weekend in response to military drills carried out by the U.S. and South Korea over the South Korea Peninsula.
North Korea’s drills were held in order to “bolster the country’s war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability and let relevant units get familiar with the procedures and processes for implementing their tactical nuclear attack missions,” state-media outlet KCNA reported. The two days of drills included the firing of a ballistic missile carrying a mock nuclear warhead.
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The collaborative U.S.-South Korean exercises, which involved U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers flying in formation with South Korea’s Air Force F-35A fighter jets during a joint air drill on Sunday, undeniably caught the attention of Kim.
“The drill also aimed to demonstrate our tougher will to make an actual war response and send a stronger warning to the enemy who expand their war drills for aggression and take a series of military actions strong in their offensive nature, getting undisguised in their explicit attempt to unleash a war against the DPRK in disregard of its repeated warnings,” KCNA wrote.
Kim expressed “satisfaction” with the nuclear warhead drill and said that “it is very important to continuously organize and conduct such drills under the simulated conditions of an actual war.” It is believed Kim watched the drills with his daughter.
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The KCNA also announced that more than 1.4 million North Koreans volunteered to join or re-enlist in the military to fight against South Korean and U.S. troops — up from some 800,000 enlistees reported over the weekend.
Earlier this year, Kim called for an “exponential increase” in his country’s nuclear arsenal in response to what he said were threats from the U.S. and South Korea.
