North Korea Demonstrates Capability to Respond to U.S. Nuclear Attack in New Exercises

The Korean People’s Army has launched exercises simulating a nuclear response to an attack on its territory, with the KN-23 short range ballistic missile system used to simulate nuclear strikes on targets 800 kilometres away. KN-25 600mm rocket artillery systems were also utilised. The KN-23 can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, and is widely speculated to also be able to launch chemical weapons strikes. The “nuclear trigger” system, designed to manage and control North Korea’sarsenal and facilitate rapid deployment were also tested, with the state run Korean Central news Agency reporting: “The goal of the drill was achieved, and the reliability of the command and mobilisation system capable of quickly reacting to any nuclear crisis was verified.” Chairman of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong Un emphasised the importance of maintaining the combat readiness of the country’s nuclear forces, stressing that ti was vital to furtherenhance long-range precision strike capabilities andweapons efficiency. This followed calls by the chairman in April to accelerate efforts to arm the navy with nuclear weapons, as he supervised the commissioning of the country’s first destroyer warship.

The KN-23 was first unveiled in 2018, and began test launches the following year. The missile class is prized for its use of an irregular semi-ballistic depressed trajectory and itsthe ability to conduct extensive in-flight manoeuvres, which makes interception particularly difficult. The missiles are also highly compact, and while carrying larger warheads and having longer ranges than the Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6 missiles of the previous generation, they are significantly smaller. The KN-23’s use of a solid fuel composite allows them to be stored fully fuelled, enabling strikes to be launched much more quickly and limiting adversaries’ opportunities to engage launch vehicles on the ground while they are stationary when preparing to fire. An enlarged variant of the missile, the KN-23B, was first test fired on March 25, 2021 under supervision of the Academy of Defence Science. Both the KN-23 and the KN-23B are considered to have significant advantages over the rival Iskander-M ballistic missile system fielded in Russia, with both systems having been exported to Russia in considerable numbers and utilised in the Ukrainian theatre. North Korea is thought to have built its first nuclear warheads in the early 1990s, with U.S. officials having on multiple occasions highlighted that its possession of an ambiguous strike capability was a leading factor deterring Washington and its strategic partners from taking military action against the East Asian state in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.