▲ News regarding North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch is being broadcast at Seoul Station on the 12th, the day after the conclusion of Freedom Edge, the trilateral regular military exercise between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.
North Korea announced today (September 14), two days later, that it conducted joint strike drills involving long-range artillery and missile units the day before yesterday (September 12).
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that "the coordinated firepower strike drills of long-range artillery and missile sub-units of various combined units of the Korean People's Army were conducted on the 12th."
Pak Jong-chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, watched the drills on-site, and Yu Chang-seon, director of the Artillery Bureau of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army, guided them, suggesting that leader Kim Jong-un did not attend.
KCNA stated that sub-units selected from five artillery and missile combined units participated in this drill, and new combat systems such as various attack drones, strategic cruise missiles, large-caliber thermobaric multiple rocket launchers, and tactical ballistic missiles were mobilized.
It also claimed that all strike weapon systems hit their targets with 100% accuracy.
Regarding the purpose of the drills, Vice-Chairman Pak stated that it is "to ensure that the military does what it is supposed to do."
Director of the Artillery Bureau Yu Chang-seon said, "Mastering the operation procedures of the integrated firepower command system, which is a component of the strategic weapon comprehensive management system, enhancing the professionalism in realizing the integrated automated firepower command of various combat systems, and increasing the efficiency of destroying targets against hostile firing are among our valued training tasks."
He added, "Such drills are of great help in qualitatively elevating the strategic response posture of strike groups at all levels and enhancing the rapid response capabilities of sub-units at all levels in contingencies."
Yu also emphasized that the joint drills between missile and long-range artillery units "boost the combat morale of soldiers and improve professionalism so that, if orders are given at any time, they can completely collapse the enemy's armed forces in terms of organizational structure," adding, "We will continuously elevate our counterattack posture against the enemy through practical and pragmatic drills in the future."
News of this drill was not reported in the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the Workers' Party read by North Korean residents, nor through the state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station, but was carried only by the external outlet KCNA.
Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that it detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area in North Korea at around 5:20 a.m. on the 12th.
This marks North Korea's 13th ballistic missile launch of the year.
The launched missiles were presumed to be Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles and 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers.
North Korea has launched ballistic missiles into the East Sea a total of four times over the past month or so, following launches on August 6, 12, and 20, and most recently on the 12th.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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