North Korea simulates nuclear attack on South Korea

(Patria) - North Korea says it fired two short-range tactical ballistic missiles to simulate nuclear attacks on military targets in South Korea, the BBC reported.

State media state that the tests were carried out as a warning against the US deployment of strategic bombers in the region. South Korea said the two missiles fell into the sea.

The launches coincide with annual joint military exercises held by South Korea and the US. Pyongyang has long condemned these exercises as a war rehearsal.

The North Korean army announced that the missiles were fired late on Wednesday in a "tactical nuclear strike drill simulating scorched-earth strikes on key command centres and operational airfields" in South Korea.

"The drill aims to send a clear message to enemies," the army added.

The launches come a day before South Korea and the US conclude their eleven-day combined military exercises. The exercises included at least one US B-1B strategic bomber flying over the Korean Peninsula, South Korean media reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a drill on Tuesday preparing his top commanders for an all-out war with South Korea, state media reported.

The drill simulated repelling a surprise invasion and then launching a counter-attack to seize "the entire territory of the southern half," the report stated.