North Korea conducts joint strike training with long-range artillery and missile units

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Soo-hyun = North Korea announced on the 12th that it conducted joint strike training with long-range artillery and missile units.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 14th, "Cooperative firepower attack training of long-range artillery and missile divisions of joint units of various levels of the Korean People's Army was conducted on the 12th."

Chairman Kim Jong-un did not observe the training, but Park Jong-cheon, vice chairman of the Workers' Party's Central Military Commission, observed the training on site and was led by Yoo Chang-seon, director of the Artillery Department of the People's Army General Staff.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that divisions selected from five joint artillery and missile units participated in this training, and that new combat systems such as various attack drones, strategic cruise missiles, large-diameter thermal pressure multiple rocket launchers, and tactical ballistic missiles were mobilized.

They also claimed that all strike weapon systems hit their targets 100% of the time.

Vice Chairman Park, who observed the training, said the purpose of the training that day was “to let the military do its job.”

Yoo Chang-seon, Director of Artillery, said, "Mastering the operation procedures of the integrated fire command system, which is a component of the strategic weapons comprehensive management system, improving expertise in realizing integrated automatic power command of various combat systems, and increasing the efficiency of destroying targets against hostile fire are among the training tasks we value."

He went on to explain, “Such training is of great help in qualitatively improving the strategic response posture of strike groups at each level and enhancing the quick reaction capabilities of units at each level in case of emergency.”

Director Yoo also emphasized that cooperative training between missile and long-range artillery units "increases the combat morale of soldiers and improves the expertise to completely collapse the enemy's armed forces organizationally and structurally if an order is given at an arbitrary time," and added, "We will continue to enhance our counterattack posture against the enemy through practical and practical training."

News of this training was not reported in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, or in the Korean Central Broadcasting System, a state-run radio broadcaster, but was only published in the Korean Central News Agency, an external media outlet.

Previously, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that it had detected short-range ballistic missiles launched several times into the East Sea from the Wonsan area in North Korea around 5:20 a.m. on the 12th. This is North Korea's 13th ballistic missile launch this year.

The missiles launched were believed to be the Hwasong-11 series, a representative short-range ballistic missile, and a 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher.

North Korea has launched ballistic missiles into the East Sea four times in the past month, including on the 6th, 12th, and 20th of last month, and until the 12th.