Troops told to prepare for counter attack

NORTH KOREA - Kim Jong-un has ordered his troops to prepare for an ‘immediate and overwhelming’ nuclear counter attack against his enemies - as he accused the US of holding aggressive military drills with South Korea.

He warned that North Korea was ready to launch just hours after commanding his own ‘guided’ military exercises - which included firing a ballistic missile with a mock nuclear warhead.

Jong-un said the exercises improved the military’s actual war capability and highlighted the need to ensure its readiness posture for any imminent nuclear warfare the country may need to unfurl against its enemies.

The North Korean leader was accompanied by his nine-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae during the missile tests - continuing a trend that has led to speculation the young girl is being lined up to inherit the hereditary hermit kingdom.

War

State media, KCNA, said yesterday that the missile launch and accompanying military exercises on Saturday and Sunday were aimed at bolstering North Korea’s ‘war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability’.

He made specific reference to the ‘reckless’ and ‘aggressive’ behaviours of his enemies - in this instance, the US and South Korea.

In the exercises, a ballistic missile equipped with a mock nuclear warhead flew 500 miles before hitting a target at the altitude of 800m under the scenario of a tactical nuclear attack, KCNA said.

“The present situation, in which the enemies are getting ever more pronounced in their moves for aggression against the DPRK, urgently requires the DPRK to bolster up its nuclear war deterrence exponentially,” KCNA quoted him as saying.

Kim was using the acronym of his country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.