North Korea conducted a new “tactical nuclear attack simulation” on Saturday, mounting fake nuclear warheads on two long-range cruise missiles that were fired into the Yellow Sea, the official news agency reported on Sunday.
• Also read: North Korea fires “multiple cruise missiles” into the Yellow Sea
“At dawn on September 2, a firing maneuver for a simulated tactical nuclear attack was carried out to warn enemies of the threat of nuclear war,” state agency KCNA said.
She said the operation was in response to joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington. South Korea and the United States conducted the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises for 11 days until August 31.
“Two long-range strategic cruise missiles with fake nuclear warheads were fired” from North Korea’s west coast into the sea to the south, the agency added.
The South Korean General Staff said on Saturday that an unknown number of cruise missiles were fired toward the Yellow Sea at around 4 a.m. local time (Friday 7 p.m. GMT).
On Thursday, the North Korean regime asserted that it had carried out two launches of short-range ballistic missiles as part of another “tactical nuclear attack simulation.”
AFP
American-South Korean exercises systematically arouse the anger of Pyongyang, which perceives them as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory.
Seoul and Washington say the maneuvers are defensive in nature and aimed at strengthening cooperation between allies.
On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a Navy command center where he outlined his plans in the event of war, including “simultaneous high-intensity attacks” against South Korean military positions.
In addition to its missile tests, North Korea is trying to put a spy satellite into orbit, but its second attempt in three months failed on August 24.