N. Korea's Kim oversees drill simulating 'nuclear counterattack'
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a drill simulating a "nuclear counterattack," state-run KCNA news agency said Tuesday, the latest in a volley of tests by Pyongyang this year.
The drill took place on Monday, according to the report. Seoul's military had earlier announced that the North had fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, with Tokyo confirming the launch.
Kim "guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen," the report said.
The rockets "hit their island target" some 352 kilometres (219 miles) away, it continued, describing Kim as "expressing great satisfaction."
South Korea's military said Monday that missiles flew from the Pyongyang area for about 300 kilometres before splashing down in the waters east of the Korean peninsula.
It branded the launch a "blatant provocation."
Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with a government spokesman saying one missile had a maximum altitude of 50 kilometres and landed outside of the country's EEZ.
The launch is the second in less than a week by Pyongyang, which on Friday tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said. Seoul's military confirmed it had detected cruise missile launches at the time.
The launch comes after Pyongyang's ally Moscow in March used its United Nations Security Council veto to effectively end UN monitoring of sanctions violations on Kim's government for its nuclear and weapons programme.
Seoul claims Pyongyang has sent around 7,000 containers of weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
(AFP)
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