North Korea claims it tested new command-and-control system in simulated nuclear counterstrike

Seoul, South Korea CNN —

North Korea claims it tested a new nuclear weapons command-and-control system Monday, with the firing of projectiles carrying simulated nuclear warheads from multiple rocket launcher units.

Leader Kim Jong Un directed the drill, which simulated a nuclear counterattack, according to a report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), following what it claimed were “extremely provocative and aggressive” annual joint air force exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea.

North Korea has tested both the rocket launcher system and a simulated nuclear counterstrike before, according to analysts, but KCNA said Monday’s exercise was the first time the “Haekbangashoe” – or nuclear trigger – command-and-control system was used, demonstrating what it claimed was an ability to switch rocket launchers from conventional to nuclear weapons.

“They are thinking about command and control. These are the practical questions about how an order should be transmitted from Kim, down the chain of command, and to launch units,” said Jeffrey Lewis, an analyst at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the nuclear counterstrike drill showed “a desire to portray wider credibility and capability in nuclear forces proficiency and posture beyond simply demonstrating just missile delivery systems.”

This pool image distributed by Sputnik agency shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during his meeting with Russian President at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on September 13, 2023, ahead of planned talks that could lead to a weapons deal with Russian