TOKYO, March 20. /TASS/. North Korea has successfully conducted a controlled detonation of a test warhead simulating a nuclear strike in its March 18-19 drills, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday.
"A launch drill simulating a nuclear strike on a major enemy facility was conducted. The missile was equipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead. The tactical ballistic missile was accurately detonated at an altitude of 800 meters over the intended target in the East Sea (Sea of Japan - TASS), which was set at a distance of 800 kilometers from the launch site. As a result, the reliability of the nuclear explosion control devices and detonators to be installed in the nuclear warhead has been confirmed once again," the report said.
According to the news agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the ongoing comprehensive tactical drills have significantly improved the effectiveness of the country's military in real combat conditions. He also noted that the drills were "an important step in the preparation of the nuclear armed forces for the urgent and precise performance of the important mission of deterring war."
According to Japan's Defense Ministry, the North Korean missile launched on March 19 flew a distance of up to 800 kilometers, reached a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers, and landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. There is a possibility that it had a variable trajectory. Japan protested to North Korea through its embassy in Beijing. The launch was the ninth since the beginning of the year.