Kim Jong Un talks about North Korea’s nuclear capability as daughter watches latest missile test



CNN

North Korea must be prepared to retaliate with nuclear strikes at any time to avert war, state leader Kim Jong-un said on Monday, accusing the United States and South Korea of ​​expanding joint military exercises at the country’s doorstep.

Kim’s remarks come after “leading” a joint tactical exercise by operational units simulating a nuclear counterattack against North Korea’s enemies over the weekend, which he said “significantly improved the units’ actual combat capabilities,” according to the state’s Korea Central Administration. Information Agency (CTAK).

State media reported that a North Korean ballistic missile equipped with a mock nuclear warhead that was launched on Sunday flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and hit a target at an altitude of 800 meters (0.5 miles) in a tactical nuclear attack scenario.

The exercise allowed the North Korean forces “to familiarize themselves with any unexpected circumstances and make them more prepared for an active position to launch an immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack.” [at] at any time, ”KCNA quotes Kim.

Kim, who appeared in state media images with his daughter, Kim Joo Aesaid that “it is very important to constantly organize and conduct such exercises in simulated conditions of a real war.”

Joo Ae, believed to be about 9 years old, repeatedly photographed along with his father on rocket launches in recent months.

North Korean state media reported that a ballistic missile equipped with a mock nuclear warhead was tested on March 19, 2023.

North Korea has been ruled as a hereditary dictatorship since its founding in 1948 by Kim Il Sung. His son, Kim Jong Il, took over after his father’s death in 1994. And Kim Jong Un came to power 17 years later, when Kim Jong Il died.

North Korea’s unveiling of a mock nuclear counterattack comes after U.S. strategic bombers took part in a joint air exercise with South Korean forces as part of Freedom Shield, the largest joint military exercise between the two countries.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks with his daughter during a military exercise on March 19, 2023.

The joint exercise involved US B-1B strategic bombers, South Korean Air Force F-35A stealth fighters and US Air Force F-16 fighters.

North Korea has increased its missile launches in protest against joint US-South Korean military exercises. submarine missiles ahead of teaching.

Kim accused the US and South Korea of ​​expanding joint military exercises involving US nuclear weapons and said his enemies were “increasingly aggressive in their actions”, prompting him to call on North Korea to “intensify its nuclear war”. containment exponentially,” the KCNA statement says.

North Korea’s two-day nuclear counterattack exercise was divided into a nuclear strike control system exercise, including a “nuclear counterattack stance” and another exercise to “launch a tactical ballistic missile with a simulated nuclear warhead,” according to KCNA. said.

“The exercise was an important milestone in preparing our nuclear combat forces to quickly and accurately fulfill their important mission of deterring war and securing military initiative at any moment and under any contingency,” Kim was quoted by state media as saying.

Kim Dong Yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies and a former commander of the South Korean navy, said North Korea’s latest exercise seems “quite specific and sophisticated” compared to a series of tests it conducted in September and October last year

“This shows that North Korea is developing its nuclear strategy, the doctrine of nuclear operations and the system for managing nuclear strikes,” he said.