North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accuses the US and South Korea of expanding their military exercises. He says the country must be prepared to attack with nuclear weapons.
– North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un says that the country should be ready to carry out nuclear attacks at any time to prevent war. He accuses the US and South Korea of expanding joint military exercises involving US nuclear assets, state news agency KCNA reports.
Exercise Freedom Shield 23 began on Monday 13 March and will end on 24 March. It is the US and South Korea’s largest joint exercise since 2017.
Satisfied manager
The message from KCNA on Monday said that Kim has conducted two days of military exercises “simulating a nuclear counter-attack”, including the launch of a ballistic missile equipped with a fake nuclear warhead.
On Sunday, messages came via the South Korean General Staff and the Japanese Coast Guard that North Korea had test-fired a short-range ballistic missile that fell into the sea between North Korea and Japan.
Kim expressed satisfaction after the weekend’s tests, which were held to “familiarize relevant units with the procedures and processes for introducing tactical nuclear strike missions,” KCNA’s statement said on Monday.
The exercises were the fourth in a row from North Korea in a week.
Sanctions
The regime in Pyongyang is subject to severe international sanctions due to the country’s nuclear weapons program.
North Korea has conducted a number of missile tests in recent months.
The number of missile tests soared after the US and South Korea resumed full-scale joint military exercises last year. The exercise activity is primarily intended as a deterrent for North Korea.
North Korea has protested strongly and stated that the country’s missile tests are a response to military threats from the United States.
North Korea sees the military exercises that the US and South Korea are conducting as exercises for the invasion of North Korea. Pyongyang has repeatedly warned that it is ready to respond with “overwhelming” actions.
Nuclear fear
Western politicians, experts and analysts have for several months feared that North Korea may carry out its first nuclear weapons test in several years and what could be the seventh nuclear weapons test in the country’s history.
That has not happened so far, but the country’s many missile tests through 2022 have been taken up in the UN Security Council. However, the Security Council has been paralyzed as Western countries have not been able to agree with Russia and China on reactions to North Korea.
The many rocket tests in recent months have triggered sharp criticism from Western countries. UN chief António Guterres has also criticized the tests, without it having helped. North Korea must “immediately refrain from further provocative actions” that are in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on February 18.
