SEOUL: North Korea conducted a simulated tactical nuclear attack drill that included two long-ran­ge cruise missiles in an exercise to “warn enemies” the country would be prepared in case of nuclear war, the KCNA state news agency said on Sunday.

KCNA said the drill was successfully carried out on Saturday and two cruise missiles carrying mock nuclear warheads were fired towards the West Sea of the Korean peninsula and flew 1,500 km at a preset altitude of 150 meters.

Pyongyang also said it would bolster its military deterrence against the United States and South Korea.

South Korea’s military said the claim of success could be an exaggeration as “not all of them succeeded”, Seoul’s Yon­hap News reported, citing a senior official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

KCNA reported Kim Jong Un visited Pukjung Machine Complex, which produces marine engines, and a munitions factory.

The latest missile test came just after the joint annual exercises between South Korea and the US came to a close.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2023