North Korea said on Friday its military unit conducted a "fire assault drill" on Thursday which proved its capability to counter "an actual war," its state media reported, after South Korea said North Korea fired a missile off its west coast the previous day.
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, adding they were analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area.
North Korea's KCNA news agency said a unit trained for "strike missions" fired a "powerful volley at the targeted waters" and demonstrated its capability to "counter an actual war." Kim examined the "actual war response posture" of the eighth fire assault company.
"He stressed that the fire assault sub-units should be strictly prepared for the greatest perfection in carrying out the two strategic missions, that is, first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war, by steadily intensifying various simulated drills for real war ...," KCNA added.
The latest missile launch came as the United States and South Korea were set to kick off large-scale military exercises known as the Freedom Shield drills next week.
North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion.
