Kim Jong-un Directs Another Projectile Launch "Unforeseen Military Strike Drill" (Comprehensive)

On the 9th, On-Site Guidance of Projectile Test over the East Sea
"Great Satisfaction" Expressed... Suggests Additional Provocations
Threatening Remarks Targeting South Korea and the US Omitted
Claims "Self-Defense Military Strengthening" While Attempting to Normalize Provocations

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, supervised the firepower strike training of the frontline long-range artillery unit on the 9th, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 10th.

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, once again supervised North Korea's projectile test conducted on the 9th, according to the North Korean state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 10th.

This training came just one week after firing two super-large multiple rocket launchers on the 2nd.

The agency reported, "Comrade Kim Jong-un once again guided the fire strike training of the Korean People's Army's frontline long-range artillery units on March 9," adding, "The repeated fire strike training was conducted with the purpose of checking the frontline long-range artillery units' capability for sudden military counterstrike."

This confirms once again that the training was conducted by artillery units, not the strategic forces operating missiles.

The type of projectile was not disclosed. However, it appears to be at a similar level to the training on the 2nd when two super-large multiple rocket launchers were fired. At that time, North Korea announced through media reports that the long-range artillery units fired 'rocket shells (multiple rocket launchers).' The training photos released by North Korean media also suggest the use of super-large multiple rocket launchers.

On site, Army General Pak Jong-chon, Chief of the General Staff, welcomed Chairman Kim Jong-un.

The agency stated, "The brave frontline artillerymen opened the annihilating fire simultaneously upon the firing command and unleashed fire," and "They powerfully demonstrated the combat skills of one hundred artillerymen and raised the sound of perfectly accurate shots."

Chairman Kim observed the training from the observation post, directly presenting the combat situation to Chief of the General Staff Pak, and KCNA reported, "Comrade Kim Jong-un expressed great satisfaction with the training results," and "He highly praised the perfect operational mobilization readiness of the frontline long-range artillery units."

Kim emphasized, "We must continue to advance in the direction of further strengthening artillery training," and "He presented resolute tasks for improving the quality of artillery training and making it more practical," indicating the continuation of military training.

Regarding this training, Kim said, "It is the power of artillery and the power of our army," and "He stressed that strengthening the People's Army artillery forces into the world's strongest branch of service feared by everyone is the most important task of the Juche-oriented revolutionary armed forces construction line and that we must continue to fight persistently," KCNA reported.

As with the report on the 2nd, this training report contained no hostile or provocative language targeting the United States or South Korea.

This is seen as an extension of the joint strike exercises of the army, navy, and air force, which have been underway since the 28th of last month as winter training, and as a regular exercise to strengthen self-defensive national defense capabilities.

Additionally, analysts suggest that North Korea is attempting to separate military buildup from inter-Korean relations and normalize missile launches as a routine practice.

Professor Park Won-gon of Handong Global University stated, "North Korea's continuous short-range projectile provocations aim to complete the testing of new weapon systems that began in May last year and to push for their deployment," adding, "North Korea also seeks to neutralize sanctions by normalizing ballistic missile launches, which violate UN Security Council resolutions."

He explained, "North Korea separates inter-Korean relations from military buildup," and "Although North Korea's missile provocations pose the greatest threat to South Korea, they are dismissed as 'routine training,' coercing South Korea into acceptance."

In fact, on the 4th, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Department Director of the Workers' Party and Kim Jong-un's younger sister, emphasized in a statement that their fire combat training is a 'self-defensive action' and that it is not an issue for South Korea or the international community to raise.

Meanwhile, North Korea launched several types of short-range projectiles into the East Sea on the 9th.

Among them, three projectiles were detected with a maximum flight distance of 200 km and an altitude of about 50 km. The first and second shots were fired 20 seconds apart, and the second and third shots were launched with an interval of over one minute.