North simulates artillery strike on South's airfield, warns of 'overwhelming response'

North Korea

Published: 10 Mar. 2023, 13:05

North simulates artillery strike on South's airfield, warns of 'overwhelming response'

North Korea conducts an artillery drill observed by leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter on Thursday, in a photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency Friday. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised a live-fire artillery drill Thursday simulating a strike on a South Korean airfield, reported state media Friday.

Kim also called for an "overwhelming response" to any enemy provocation.

The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim gave field guidance to the Hwasong artillery unit of the North's Korean People's Army on the western front and watched a "fire assault drill" the previous day.

Kim "examined the actual war response posture of the 8th fire assault company under the unit charged with striking the enemy's operation airport in the direction of the western front," according to the English-language report.

He was accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, who was spotted in photos released by the KNCA on the same day. Ju-ae, confirmed as Kim's second child out of three offspring by the South's National Intelligence Service (NIS), has made frequent public appearances next to her father since last November.

On Thursday evening, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired at least one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) toward the Yellow Sea from Nampo at 6:20 p.m.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects the Hwasong artillery unit with his daughter Ju-ae, far right, Thursday in a photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency Friday. [YONHAP]

The KCNA reported Friday that the fire assault company, trained in carrying out strike missions, "fired a powerful volley at the targeted waters in the West Sea of Korea set under the simulated conditions of the major elements of the enemy operation airport, thus confidently demonstrating its capability to counter an actual war."

Kim reportedly expressed "great satisfaction over the results of the drill" and stressed the need to always stay alert for "more frantic war preparation moves being committed by the enemy recently," apparently referring to South Korea-U.S. joint exercises.

Kim called on the artillery unit to maintain the "powerful capability to overwhelmingly respond to and contain them all the time so as to thoroughly deter the danger of a military clash on the Korean Peninsula."

They were told to be ready to carry out the two strategic missions: "first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war, by steadily intensifying various simulated drills for real war in a diverse way in different situations."

This would be in preparation for a "time when the enemy's moves for violating the sovereignty of our state and threatening its security cross the red-line set by the DPRK," reported the KCNA.

A photo released by KCNA showed at least six tactical guided weapons fired at the same time from six transporter‐erector‐launchers (TEL).

North Korea conducts an artillery drill, apparently testing tactical guided missiles Thursday, in a photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency Friday. [YONHAP]

Recently, the United States deployed its long-range B-1B and B-52 bombers to the Korean Peninsula for drills with South Korea.

Seoul and Washington are also scheduled to kick off the Freedom Shield exercise, their biggest combined military drills in five years, from Monday through March 23. The exercise will be carried out concurrently with large-scale field training exercises, called the Warrior Shield FTX.

Pyongyang has described the regular Seoul-Washington combined exercises as war rehearsals for invading the North.

On Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, warned that Pyongyang is ready to take "overwhelming" actions against military activities by the South and the United States and that any U.S. attempt to intercept its missile will be seen as a "clear declaration of war."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]