North Korea’s recent layoffs were “tactical nuclear” simulations.

The missile launches carried out by North Korea in recent weeks were “tactical nuclear” simulations and were personally supervised by leader Kim Jong-un, the official North Korean news agency KCNA said on Monday (10 October).

“Korean People’s Army (KPA) units responsible for the use of tactical nuclear weapons held military exercises from September 25 to October 9 to test and evaluate the country’s nuclear deterrence and counterattack capability,” KCNA wrote.

The agency justified these exercises with joint US-South Korean military maneuvers in the region, “an unfortunate attitude that further exacerbates tension in the region while openly constituting a military threat” to North Korea, according to the agency.

Preparations for another nuclear test

The seven missile launches carried out by North Korea in the past two weeks were exercises that “simulated a real war,” the KCNA added.

“Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party and chairman of its Central Military Commission, conducted the military exercises there,” the state agency said.

While North Korea’s disarmament talks have long stalled, Pyongyang has stepped up weapons testing since the beginning of the year. Notably, last week it launched a ballistic missile on Japan, the first in five years.

Many experts and officials also believe North Korea has completed preparations for a new nuclear test, which would be the seventh in its history and the first since 2017.

With AFP