[NY Post] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw a rocket firing contest and a simulated combat flight drill, according to reports from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.The agency announced Wednesday that the reclusive leader guided a firing contest of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) operated by units of the Korean People’s Army under simulated war conditions. Kim reportedly said all commanding officers and troops need to be ready to strike targets at any time and gave a “high appreciation” of the successful competition, KCNA announced.
The report did not indicate exactly when or where the drills took place.
“Kim Jong Un expressed his satisfaction over the fact that all targets were hit properly, saying that the gunners are very excellent at firing and all of them are snipers,” according to KCNA. “He gave a high appreciation of the successful contest.”
| MLRS snipers? |
A South Korean military expert told NKNews.org that the drills had actually had more of a defensive purpose, in contrast to North Korea’s more offensive drills that have occurred twice in the past month.
“Since an interceptor fighter has the aim of prohibiting enemy fighter jets from entering North Korean territory, the North conducted a military exercise in a bid to respond to an ‘ambush of South Korean and US soldiers,’” said Kim Min-seok, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
But another military analyst told NKNews.com that the exercises were an attempt to demonstrate the country’s firepower as deployments and drills continue on behalf of South Korea and the United States.
“North Korea showed off that the country can make massive retaliation with conventional weapons even without using nuclear weapons,” said Kim Dong-yeop, a researcher at the Seoul-based Institute for Far Eastern Studies.