North Korea Simulates Tactical Nuke Attack in Response to US Drills

The US and South Korea just concluded major war games

North Korea on Saturday simulated a tactical nuclear weapon attack in response to another round of massive military exercises held by the US and South Korea.

“A firing drill for simulated tactical nuclear attack was conducted at dawn of September 2 to warn the enemies of the actual nuclear war danger,” North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported.

The KCNA report said that “two long-range strategic cruise missiles tipped with mock nuclear warheads were fired in an actual war environment according to rapid approval procedures.”

The North Korean missile launch came after the US and South Korea concluded 11 days of joint exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS). Ahead of the drills, South Korean officials said they would involve 30 field training events, compared with 13 in last year’s iteration of UFS.

US B1-B bombers participated in the drills as the Biden administration is making a point to deploy strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. In July, the US docked a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time since 1981, a major provocation with no strategic benefit other than escalating tensions.

“The recklessness and dangerous nature of the confrontation hysteria recently betrayed by the US and the gangsters of the ‘Republic of Korea’ are unprecedented in history,” the KCNA report said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula show no sign of easing as the two sides continue tit-for-tat escalations. The Biden administration has shown no interest in backing down or fostering diplomacy and is taking steps to boost military cooperation between South Korea and Japan as part of its strategy against China.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.