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North Korea
AsiaEast Asia

North Korea fires ‘mock nuclear warheads’ as ‘desperate’ Kim Jong-un seeks counter to US, South

  • State media called this weekend’s drills a ‘simulated tactical nuclear attack’ that was aimed at warning ‘enemies of the actual nuclear war danger’
  • Analysts say Kim is ‘desperate to deter’ South Korea, with plans to strike military facilities in the South and US bases in Japan at the same time

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A photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says was a strategic cruise missile launch on Saturday morning. State media called the drill a “simulated tactical nuclear attack”. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
Agence France-Presse
North Korea staged a “simulated tactical nuclear attack” drill at the weekend with mock atomic warheads attached to two long-range cruise missiles that were test-fired into the ocean, state-controlled media reported.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the operation early on Saturday was a “counteraction drill” in response to joint military activity by US and South Korean forces that the agency said had escalated tensions in the region.

“A firing drill for simulated tactical nuclear attack was conducted at dawn of September 2 to warn the enemies of the actual nuclear war danger,” KCNA reported.

“Two long-range strategic cruise missiles tipped with mock nuclear warheads were fired” from North Korea’s west coast into the sea to the south, it said.

01:48

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un vows to strengthen country’s naval forces amid US-South Korea joint drills

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un vows to strengthen country’s naval forces amid US-South Korea joint drills

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Saturday that an unspecified number of cruise missiles were launched at around 4am towards the Yellow Sea, adding that the specifications of the missiles were being evaluated.

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