North Korea simulates nuclear counterstrike under Kim Jong Un's watch

The North Korean army conducted a "nuclear counterattack" simulation, as reported by the state agency KCNA on Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw these military exercises.

KCNA explained that the military exercises, employing "very large missile launchers," occurred on Monday. The agency highlighted that Kim Jong Un "commended the altitude and accuracy of the missile launch". The missiles were intended to strike a specific target from around 352 kilometres.

On Saturday, KCNA disclosed that North Korea had carried out tests with a warhead and a new type of anti-aircraft missile. Furthermore, a test launch of a new air defence missile named Pyoljjj-1-2.

Last week, Belarusian delegates and officials from North Korea met, and it was announced that they aim to deepen cooperation between the two nations. This came amidst North Korea's expressed discontent over the US's efforts to escalate sanctions adjudged by Pyongyang as “unlawful.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, Yevgeny Shestakov, and his North Korean colleague, Lim Chun Il, held discussions on Thursday. These deliberations covered possibilities for bilateral collaboration across various domains, including economic and cultural sectors, and mutual support on the global stage. The North Korean state media, KCNA, released this information on Friday.

This encounter is part of diplomatic engagements following Pyongyang’s relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. In a separate report by KCNA, Kim Son Gyong, the Deputy Minister for International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, critiqued Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the UN. During her recent visits to South Korea and Japan, Thomas-Greenfield had termed the UN sanctions against North Korea as "unlawful" - as reported by usnews.com.