North Korea says recent drill shows 'huge destructive power'
North Korea carried out a coordinated live-fire exercise involving multiple weapons systems over the weekend. The drill came after the US, South Korea and Japan wrapped up five days of joint maritime exercises.
On Monday, North Korea announced that its recent live-fire drill showcased immense destructive capability. On Saturday, various types of weaponry were simultaneously launched, with the objective of bolstering North Korean soldiers' morale and elevating their capacity to utterly dismantle the adversary, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
KCNA revealed that the exercise engaged five army divisions and evaluated attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and other weapon systems. Analysts contend that North Korea is not diminishing its military endeavors, even following US President Donald Trump's recent reduction of a military exercise with South Korea, a move presumably aimed at reviving diplomatic relations with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un's military advisor, Marshal Pak Jong Chon, stated in KCNA that the drill sought to enhance the degree of specialization, aiming to eliminate the enemy's armed forces structurally and organizationally upon a command. He further noted that the mobilized weapon systems demonstrated the devastating impact of concentrated fire.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that numerous missiles were discharged on Saturday and traversed approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) into North Korea's eastern waters, suggesting the weapons are designed to target South Korea and US military installations. The firing drill followed a day after the United States, South Korea, and Japan concluded a trilateral military exercise perceived by North Korea as an provocation.
In August, Trump directed the Pentagon to substantially scale down the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise conducted jointly with South Korea, citing his positive relationship with Kim Jong Un. North Korea rejected Trump's decision, asserting that shortening the exercise did not alter its provocative and aggressive nature. Experts suggest that Kim Jong Un probably believes his position in any potential diplomacy with the US has improved since his initial meetings with Trump in 2018 and 2019.
Kim expressed earlier this year that he might return to talks if the US relinquishes its hostile stance towards North Korea and acknowledges what he calls North Korea's status as a nuclear power.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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