North Korea says it simulated nuclear attack, occupation of South Korea

North Korea said Thursday its latest missile launches simulated “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea and that it’s also been rehearsing an occupation of its rival’s territory in the event of conflict.

Pyongyang has previously tested nuclear-capable missiles and described how it would use them in potential wars with South Korea and the U.S. But the North’s disclosure of detailed war plans reaffirmed its aggressive nuclear doctrine to intimidate its opponents.

North Korea’s military said it fired two tactical ballistic missiles from the capital on Wednesday night to practise “scorched earth strikes” at major command centres and operational airfields in South Korea, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The North’s military said the missiles carried out their simulated strikes through air bursts, suggesting it confirmed the explosions of dummy warheads at a set altitude.

North Korea said its missile tests were a response to the United States’ flyover of long-range B-1B bombers for a joint aerial training with South Korea earlier Wednesday, as part of the allies’ field exercises.

“[The aerial drill] is a serious threat to [North Korea] as it was just pursuant to the scenario for a preemptive nuclear strike at” North Korea, the Korean People’s Army general staff said, referring to U.S. and South Korea forces as “military gangsters.”

‘Grave provocation’

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launches “a grave provocation” that threatens international peace and violates UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic launches by North Korea. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the U.S. commitment to the defence of South Korea and Japan remains “ironclad.”

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said later Thursday it strongly condemns North Korea for openly revealing its intent to attack the South. It warned North Korea will only face “an overwhelming response” by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan if it continues its provocation and military threats.

The ministry said it was North Korean state media’s first report on command post drills involving the whole military since Kim took power in late 2011.

The missile launches Wednesday were the latest in the North’s barrage of weapons tests since last year.

Defending against the North Korea nuclear threat

Tensions are rising in the Korean peninsula as Kim Jong-un vows to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. CBC’s Saša Petricic goes to South Korea for a closer look at how a UN-led coalition, including Canadians soldiers, is training for a potential attack.

According to South Korean and Japanese assessments, the two short-range missiles travelled a distance of 360-400 kilometres at the maximum altitude of 50 kilometres before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

South Korean and Japanese authorities said their warplanes conducted combined aerial drills with U.S. B-1B bombers respectively on Wednesday. South Korea’s Defence Ministry said that Wednesday’s B-1B deployment is the 10th flyover by U.S. bombers on the Korean Peninsula this year.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to the deployment of U.S. B-1B bombers, which can carry a huge number of conventional weapons. The North describes the bombers as “nuclear strategic,” although the planes were switched to conventional weaponry in the 1990s.

On Aug. 21, the U.S. and South Korean militaries kicked off their summer Ulchi Freedom Shield computer-simulated command post exercise. During this year’s training, slated to end later Thursday, the allies have included more than 30 kinds of field exercises, such as Wednesday’s joint aerial exercise involving the B-1B aircraft.

North Korea calls major U.S.-involved military drills on and near the Korean Peninsula preparation for invasion. Washington and Seoul officials maintain their drills are defensive. The U.S. stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea.

U.S. concerned about Kremlin-Kim communications

KCNA said Kim on Tuesday visited an army post where his military has been holding command post drills in response to the South Korean-U.S. military training. It said the drills are aimed at practising procedures for “occupying the whole territory of the southern half” of the Korean Peninsula in the event of war.

Kim underscored the need to “deal a heavy blow at the enemy’s war potential and war command centre and blinding their means of command communication at the initial stage of operation.”

Kim has been pushing hard to expand and modernize his weapons arsenals. Its second attempt at launching a spy satellite failed last week, but it plans a third attempt in October.

The latest provocation comes as the White House said on Wednesday it was concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were advancing actively, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim had written to each other pledging to increase their co-operation.

Russia said on Thursday it intended to develop ties with North Korea, while not confirming the exchange of letters.

“Moscow and Pyongyang maintain good, mutually respectful relations. We intend to develop them further. Contacts are being made at various levels,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, calling North Korea “a very important neighbour.”