North Korea says missile tests are practice for ‘tactical nuclear strikes’ on South Korea
Analyst predicts North Korea's next move after ballistic missile launch
Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
North Korean state media has broken its silence over the country’s recent spate of missile tests, claiming they were part of a series of simulated procedures intended to demonstrate its readiness to fire tactical nuclear warheads at potential targets in South Korea.
The Kim regime has tested ballistic missiles seven times since September 25, the latest of 25 launch events of ballistic and cruise missiles this year, according to a CNN count, raising tensions to their highest level since 2017.
Quoting leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the drills, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the tests, which coincided with nearby military drills between the United States, South Korea and Japan, showed Pyongyang was ready to respond to regional tensions with by involving its “huge armed forces.”
KCNA said the series of seven drills of North Korea’s “tactical nuclear operation units” showed that its “nuclear combat forces” are “fully ready to hit and wipe out the set objects at the intended places in the set time.”
Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said North Korea’s announcements Monday indicated potential progress in its missile program.
“What I find notable is that these launches are not framed as tests of the missiles themselves, but rather of the units that launch them. That suggests these systems are deployed,” Lewis said on Twitter.
-
1:41
B.C. Begley
1 year agoNorth Korea fires 2 missiles in tests condemned by neighbors
73 -
1:12
Last World News Channel
1 year agoNorth Korea fires two short range missiles into the sea in new weapons tests
5 -
0:59
RT
1 year agoNorth Korea tests solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile
1.29K13 -
11:02
JTN2020
10 months agoNorth Korea defends recent missile test in rare UN Security Council appearance
89 -
0:29
WFTS
6 years agoNorth Korea claims to have tested first intercontinental ballistic missile
-
0:29
WFTS
6 years agoNorth Korea claims to have tested first intercontinental ballistic missile
-
4:01
Last World News Channel
1 year agoNorth Korea Says Missile Tests Aimed At Simulating Attack On U.S., South Korea
2 -
0:39
Justvideo
5 months agoNorth Korea launches second ballistic missile after US warning over nuke attacks
55 -
0:33
Truthseekers17
1 year agoNorth Korea Simulates Nuclear Attack
38 -
1:32
Reuters
1 year agoN.Korea: missile tests simulate striking South
2264