North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Keep An Eye On The Taktis Nuclear Operations Unit's Direct Exercise

Illustration of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending military exercises. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un led a recent drill by tactical nuclear operations unit, in response to large-scale naval exercises by South Korean and US forces, which have stepped up regional tensions, state news agency KCNA said Monday.

Over the past two weeks, North Korea has carried out drills involving ballistic missiles with mock nuclear warheads, KCNA reported, saying it was to convey a strong message of war prevention. Exercises are carried out to target enemy airfields and key ports, he added.

"The effectiveness and practical combat capabilities of our nuclear combat forces are fully demonstrated, as they are fully prepared to strike and destroy targets at any time from any location," KCNA said.

"Although the enemy continues to talk about dialogue and negotiations, we have nothing to talk about and we don't feel the need to," KCNA wrote as quoted by Kim Jong-un.

KCNA said North Korea's ruling Labor Party decided to conduct exercises in an unavoidable response to the large-scale mobilization of US and South Korean naval forces, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines.

Previously, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles on Sunday morning, officials in Seoul and Tokyo said, making it the seventh launch since September 25.

On October 4, North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test further than ever, flying missiles over Japan for the first time since 2017.

In response, the United States and South Korea held a joint maritime exercise involving US aircraft carriers on Friday, a day after South Korea's fighter jets in reaction to North Korea's air bombing drills.

It is known, naval exercises involve US carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and its strike group. South Korean naval forces, Japan, and the United States also conducted previous joint exercises.