Friday, October 27, 2023

Kim Jong Un Urges Intensified Drills for Realistic War Simulation

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a series of missile tests that simulated the destruction of an enemy airport. The tests took place just days before the US and South Korea were due to start their largest joint military drills since 2018. Kim called on the military to intensify drills to simulate “real war” and his young daughter was present to watch the display. The state media described the tests as a success and photos showed six short-range ballistic missile launch vehicles, each capable of carrying four missiles. South Korea’s military detected the launch of “multiple rounds of SRBMs fired from the same region” from North Korea’s west coast on Thursday evening.

North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said a unit trained for “strike missions” fired a “powerful volley at the targeted waters” and demonstrated its capability to “counter an actual war”. Pyongyang has long portrayed any drills involving the two countries’ armed forces as rehearsals for invasion. Analysts say Pyongyang is likely to intensify testing while the drills continue. Freedom Shield kicks off on March 13 and is expected to last for 10 days.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office last year, has taken a more hawkish approach to Pyongyang and moved to boost diplomatic ties and security cooperation with the US and Japan. Yoon is due to travel to Japan next week and to the US for a state visit on April 26 where he will meet President Joe Biden.

North Korea conducted a record number of missile tests last year and has continued its activities into 2023 with test launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile, short-range missiles and a purported long-range cruise missile system in recent weeks. It last carried out a nuclear test in September 2017.

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