N. Korea’s Kim threatens to demolish Seoul during missile exercises

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to prepare to destroy Seoul during a drill with multiple rocket launchers

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed the regime’s military to be ready to annihilate Seoul while overseeing a drill involving multiple rocket launchers, as reported by Pyongyang’s state media on Tuesday. 

As per the North’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim delivered the instructions during an exercise conducted by artillery units in the western region of the country using 600-millimeter multiple launch rocket systems on Monday. 

The details outlined in the KCNA report seemed to correspond to those of the KN-25, which North Korea officially designates as a “super-large caliber” multiple launch rocket system but is categorized by the U.S. as a short-range ballistic missile system due to its larger size and extended range compared to conventional rocket artillery. 

The report mentioned that the launches on Monday included detonating a warhead midair from the same system at a specified altitude above a target. 

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting several short-range ballistic missile launches from the vicinity of Pyongyang on that day. 

Kim, as quoted by KCNA, described the multiple launch rocket system as one of the key offensive tools of the regime’s military and stated that the exercise aimed to “reinforce to our adversaries that they will face catastrophic consequences in the event of a war.” 

The KN-25 is among the missile systems that North Korea has claimed can carry tactical nuclear weapons. 

State media reports on the February 2023 military parade by North Korea referred to the KN-25 and other missile systems exhibited as crucial assets utilized by the regime’s “tactical nuclear weapons operation units.” 

In remarks hinting that Seoul would be the primary target in a conflict, Kim also indicated that the drill involving the regime’s “destructive offensive capabilities” would empower the North Korean military to fulfill their missions effectively to deter and neutralize the possibility of war by maintaining constant readiness to dismantle the enemy’s capital and its military structure. 

In January, Kim labeled South Korea as the regime’s “unchanging primary adversary” and advocated for a constitutional amendment to formalize this designation. 

While KCNA images depicted six missiles being launched simultaneously, the JCS stated on Tuesday that they believe North Korea likely launched additional missiles subsequently. 

JCS spokesman Lt. Col. Lee Chang-hyun remarked during a press briefing that “the photos show the initial simultaneous launches, and we suspect there were further launches afterward.” 

The day before, the JCS released a statement “strongly condemning” the missile launches, characterizing them as “a blatant provocation jeopardizing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” 

These latest launches marked the end of a period of relatively low activity in weapons testing by North Korea, which had previously conducted cruise missile tests on five separate occasions earlier in the year. 

The missile launches coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to South Korea for the Summit for Democracy and occurred four days after the conclusion of the annual Freedom Shield joint exercise be 

Source: Newsroom