North Korean leader oversees military drill

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un directly oversaw a nuclear counterattack exercise that included a tactical missile and long-range artillery test, the state-run KCNA news agency reported Thursday.

The exercise, held on Thursday, mobilized 600mm multiple rocket launchers, known internationally as KN-25, and Hwasongpho-11Ka, or KN-23, tactical missiles with the aim of training participating units in the operational procedures of these systems, within the framework of the national nuclear weapons management system .

Kim Jong-un said that continued modernization of artillery and tactical nuclear weapons is essential to strengthen deterrence and expand the operational capabilities of the People's Army.

The drill demonstrates the North Korean military's ability to react quickly to changes in the military situation, KCNA noted, referring to joint nuclear exercises that the United States and its allies have conducted in the region.

In April, Seoul and Washington conducted the Iron Mace 25-1 exercise to coordinate a joint response to nuclear threats.

Although the Pyongyang regime has presented the exercise as a response to external tensions, there is a possibility that it was a technical test to improve the missiles. The presence of senior officials involved in the development of weapons reinforces this hypothesis, wrote the Spanish news agency Efe.

The South Korean military detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Thursday, between 08:10 and 09:20 local time (00:10 and 01:20 in Lisbon), which traveled up to 800 kilometers before falling into the East Sea.

In a statement, South Korea, Japan and the United States considered the launch a “threat to regional and international peace and security” and recalled that this type of test violates UN Security Council resolutions.