North Korea boasts 'huge destructive power' after live-fire drill

North Korea said Monday that its recent "live-fire" drill demonstrated "huge destructive power."

During the test on Saturday, different types of weapons were fired simultaneously, with the aim of boosting the morale of North Korean troops and improving their capabilities to "completely collapse the enemy," according to the state news agency KCNA.

KCNA reported that the drill involved five army units and tested attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and other weapons systems.

Experts say North Korea is not slowing down its weapons activities, even after US President Donald Trump recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea claims great military power

North Korean Marshal Pak Jong Chon was cited by KCNA as saying the drill intended to "improve the level of specialization to bring down the enemy's armed forces organizationally and structurally once an order is issued." He added that the mobilized weapons systems demonstrated "the huge destructive power of concentrated fire."

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles were fired on Saturday and traveled about 250 kilometers (155 miles) into North Korea's eastern waters.

The distances indicate that the weapons are designed to strike targets in South Korea, including US military bases.

North Korea's response to 'provocations'

The firing drill came a day after the United States, South Korea, and Japan concluded a trilateral military exercise that North Korea considers a provocation.

In August, Trump ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise conducted jointly with South Korea. According to the US president, the decision was due to his good relationship with Kim Jong Un.

North Korea rejected Trump's move, saying that shortening the exercise did not change its "provocative, aggressive nature."

The exercise ended six days earlier than originally scheduled.

Experts say Kim Jong Un likely believes his position in any potential diplomacy with the US has improved since his first meetings with Trump in 2018 and 2019. Kim said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the US abandons its "hostile policy" toward his country and recognizes what he calls North Korea's status as a nuclear state.