麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

North Korea conducts artillery firing drills in likely response to South Korea-U.S. military training

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits a western operational training base in North Korea Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Korea News Service via AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits a western operational training base in North Korea Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Korea News Service via AP)
Share

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised artillery firing drills aimed at boosting combat readiness, state media reported Friday, days after his country vowed to take corresponding military steps against the ongoing South Korean-U.S military trainin g that it regards as an invasion rehearsal.

Thursday's drills involved frontline artillery units, whose weapons place Seoul, the South Korean capital, in their striking range, the North鈥檚 official Korean Central News Agency said.

Kim said artillery units must 鈥渢ake the initiative with merciless and rapid strikes at the moment of their entry into an actual war,鈥 KCNA said.

North Korea's forward-deployed long-range artillery guns pose a serious security threat to Seoul, a city with 10 million people which is about 40 to 50 kilometres (25 to 30 miles) from the border with North Korea.

North Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it would conduct unspecified 鈥漴esponsible military activities鈥 in response to the annual South Korea-U.S. military drills that are to end on March 14. Kim visited a western operational training ground on Wednesday and called for stronger war fighting capabilities.

The South Korean-U.S. drills began on Monday and involve a computer-simulated command post training and 48 kinds of field exercises, twice the number conducted last year.

North Korea views South Korea-U.S. military exercises as a major security threat, calling them a preparation to launch attacks on the North. Seoul and Washington officials have said their drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea has sharply accelerated its missile testing activities since 2022 in part of efforts to develop more powerful nuclear-capable weapons targeting the U.S. mainland and South Korea. The South Korean and U.S. militaries have expanded their drills in response.

Experts say North Korea likely aims to use a modernized arsenal to win sanctions relief from the United States when diplomacy restarts. They say North Korea could increase its weapons tests and dial up warlike rhetoric this year as the United States and South Korea hold major elections. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

A Brampton woman says she is devastated after she lost more than $200,000 鈥 her life's savings 鈥 to a romance scam.

As Toronto readies for Taylor Swift鈥檚 arrival this week, some crowd management and planning experts say additional safety precautions should be taken when tens of thousands of fans fill the city's downtown core on show nights.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.