North Korea conducts 'firepower strike drill,' with leader hinting at more drills to come

By Lee Hugh Posted : March 15, 2026, 13:14 Updated : March 15, 2026, 13:25
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (far right), accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae (center), watches a drill in Sunan near Pyongyang on March 15, 2025, in this photon this photo released by the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency the following day.
SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) -  North Korea conducted a "firepower strike drill," attended by its leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported on Sunday.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the drill "involved twelve 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies," with Kim quoted as referring to it as "aimed at making the army do what it should do."

Photos released later also showed he was accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae.

Kim said the drill is a "regular one for checking the [North's] defensive posture and war deterrence and such drill will be frequently conducted in the future, too."

"But in case such deterrents of a defensive nature do not prevent foreign forces from launching an armed provocation or invading our state to jeopardize the security of its sovereignty, they will immediately be used for their second mission, i.e., as a means of massive, destructive strike," he added.
 
A slew of missiles are being fired during a drill in Sunan near Pyongyang on March 15, 2025, in this photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the following day.
Boasting that the launched rockets hit targets in the East Sea "with 100 percent accuracy," Kim warned that the drill would "expose the forces hostile to [North Korea], the enemies within the 420-km striking range, to uneasiness."

Kim also stressed the need for all army units to ready for "high-intensity practical maneuvers under the simulated conditions of an actual war."

The previous day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected about 10 ballistic missiles launched toward the East Sea from Sunan near Pyongyang at around 1:20 p.m. The missiles flew roughly 350 kilometers and were interpreted as Pyongyang's protest against the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercise, which has been underway since last Monday.

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