North Korea conducted live-fire attack drills involving artillery and missile units, a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan concluded joint trilateral military exercises.
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The drills, conducted on September 12, came as South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launch of several ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area of North Korea toward the East Sea on Saturday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the joint live-fire attack exercise involved long-range artillery and missile units from combined units across various levels of the Korean People’s Army. It said selected subunits from five combined artillery and missile units took part in the drills.
According to KCNA, the exercises featured new weapons systems, including various types of attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers using thermobaric warheads, and tactical ballistic missiles.
Pyongyang said all offensive weapons systems involved in the exercise hit their targets with 100% accuracy, describing the drills as demonstrating a high level of coordination and synchronization in firepower.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the exercise. It was overseen by Pak Jong Chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of North Korea.
North Korea’s Director of the Artillery Bureau, Yu Chang Son, said the exercise was aimed at strengthening the military’s ability to systematically and structurally eliminate enemy armed forces. He pledged to continue enhancing the country’s counterattack capabilities through practical drills.
The developments came after North Korea launched several ballistic missiles on Saturday, marking the country’s 13th such launch of the year, according to South Korean assessments. Seoul said the projectiles included short-range Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles, along with rounds fired from 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers.
Pyongyang typically announces missile launches the day after they take place, although it has reduced its public announcements of such operations in recent months.
