Hong Kong. March 20. INTERFAX - North Korea said on Monday that it conducted exercises simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack over the weekend.
"On March 18 and 19, comprehensive tactical exercises were held aimed at practical strengthening of the war deterrence forces and the country's ability to launch a nuclear counterattack, to work out the order and processes of performing the task of a tactical nuclear attack by the relevant parts," the KCNA said in a statement.
It is noted that the two-day exercises included exercises on the management of the nuclear strike command system, real exercises on the transition to combat readiness for a nuclear counterattack and exercises on the launch of a tactical ballistic missile with a simulated nuclear warhead.
On March 19, exercises were held to launch a ballistic missile that simulated a tactical nuclear attack.
According to the state agency of the DPRK, the missile launched from the Cheolsan County of North Pyeongan province exploded exactly at an altitude of 800 meters above the intended target in the Sea of Japan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un led the exercises of his military units. Photos published by state media show that his daughter also watched the exercises.
The North Korean leader mentioned that it is very important to often organize exercises close to real combat so that the military "gets used to an unexpected situation and carefully prepares for immediate, overwhelming and active nuclear response readiness at any time."
"We cannot contain the war just by the fact that we are a nuclear state. Only when we bring the country into a state of readiness for nuclear attacks, which can be carried out quickly and accurately at any time, we will be able to fulfill an important strategic mission to contain the war," KCNA quotes Kim Jong-un.
The agency noted that one of the goals of the exercises is "to warn opponents who openly reveal clear intentions to unleash a war against the republic, expand aggressive military exercises and conduct offensive military actions, ignoring our repeated warnings."
On March 19, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Armed Forces informed that the DPRK had launched a short-range ballistic missile from the area of the Tonchhanni test site.
The DPRK had previously warned that it would take practical measures of military deterrence in response to the joint US-South Korean military exercises Freedom Shield, which started on March 13.
