NNorth Korea has said it has held exercises on the use of tactical nuclear weapons under the supervision of ruler Kim Jong-un. Among other things, the loading of missiles with nuclear warheads was simulated in a silo below a water reservoir in the north-east of the country, the state news agency KCNA reported on Monday. In another exercise, attacks on South Korean airports were simulated with short-range missiles that can be equipped with nuclear weapons. The military exercises have been carried out over the past two weeks by units responsible for the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The aim was to “assess the country’s nuclear counter-strike capabilities in order to send a serious warning to the enemy,” wrote KCNA.
Pyongyang presented the exercises as a response to joint military maneuvers by South Korean, American and Japanese forces, which resumed after a long hiatus. The regime seemed particularly offended by the fact that the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan took part in the exercises with its task force and returned to the region shortly after its first deployment in early October.
Meanwhile, North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time since 2017. The United States had openly threatened North Korea by sending the aircraft carrier twice, the KCNA wrote. The report also criticized the stance of the new South Korean government under President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is more determined in countering North Korean threats than his predecessor.
According to KCNA, Kim Jong-un threatened an “even more serious answer” and “clearer signals” if the United States and South Korea continued to escalate tensions. That could refer to the preparations for another nuclear weapons test, which Seoul and Washington have been reporting on for a long time. It would be the first since 2017. South Korean intelligence believes such a test is possible after the Chinese Communist Party Congress, which runs from Oct. 16-22.
Kim Jong-un’s wife also appears in a photo
With the simulation of the use of tactical nuclear weapons, North Korea is once again reinforcing its nuclear threat. In September, the regime legislated a new doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, which for the first time includes the possibility of first strikes. The possibility was also stipulated that the order for a nuclear strike could be given by a commander other than Kim Jong-un. Behind this is apparently the fear of a possible beheading of the regime.
In Monday’s report, North Korea’s rulers again rejected offers of talks from America and South Korea. “We have no intention of entering into dialogue with the enemy and see no need for it,” he said. There have been no negotiations since the Hanoi summit between former US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in February 2019. Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, has so far paid little attention to North Korea beyond a general willingness to talk.
From Washington’s point of view, such talks should be about North Korea’s denuclearization. Kim Jong-un declared the country’s status as a nuclear power non-negotiable in September. A tightening of the UN sanctions against North Korea currently seems unlikely, since China and Russia would probably block corresponding resolutions in the UN Security Council.
The exercises were announced on Monday on the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Labor Party. Pyongyang often uses such anniversaries as a show of strength. The state newspaper Rodong Sinmun published photos showing Kim Jong-un overseeing missile tests. Also pictured is his wife Ri Sol-ju covering her ears during an artillery drill on Sunday. Ri had not previously appeared in connection with military exercises.
Attacks on “enemy” ports were simulated during the target practice on Sunday, the newspaper writes. The operation demonstrated “the operational readiness of the nuclear defense position”. On Saturday, “for the first time in history”, 150 war planes took off at the same time for an exercise.
