In response to the ROK-US joint military drill on the 20th, North Korea presented the terms “simulation of a nuclear attack on a major enemy target” and “nuclear counterattack” for a ballistic missile launched the day before, showing the possibility of negotiations with Japan.
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the North Korean leader "simulated a nuclear attack on South Korea with a ballistic missile launch over the weekend, the fifth missile demonstration this month, to protest the largest joint military exercise in years between the United States and South Korea." North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, "instructed the military to conduct more training in order to strengthen nuclear war readiness in the face of an 'aggression' by the enemy," the report said on the same day, revealing the "nuclear counterattack" for the first time.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 20th that the tactical nuclear operation unit of the North Korean Army conducted a comprehensive tactical training on the premise of a “nuclear counterattack” for two days from the 18th and conducted a ballistic missile firing drill on the 19th.
Regarding the North Korean announcement, Yomiuri said, “It is believed to refer to a missile that fell into the Sea of Japan on the same day. Regarding the joint ROK-US military training that started on the 13th, he said that he showed off his nuclear weapons. checked several times. The missile launch drill was held in northwestern North Korea on the 19th,” he said.
Citing KCNA, Yomiuri said, “The missile simulated a nuclear warhead, loaded a test warhead flying 800 km to the east, and detonated accurately in the air 800 m above the target target, the East Sea.” This has been reconfirmed.”
Yomiuri said, "Chairman Kim emphasized that 'war cannot be controlled by possessing nuclear weapons alone' and that 'the important strategic mission of suppressing war can be accomplished only when sufficiently prepared for a nuclear attack that can be operated quickly and accurately at any time.' He said, "The enemy's anti-Republican (North Korea) invasion tactics are increasing day by day," with the ROK-US joint training in mind, suggesting a challenge in the direction of nuclear force reinforcement and preparation for war."
The AP said, “The Korean Central News Agency said that the missile that flew about 800 km was equipped with a simulated nuclear warhead. It explained that the test was successful, saying it was supposed to reaffirm the reliability of the detonator.”
The Associated Press reported that “North Korea has launched 20 launches this year from an airport near Pyongyang to demonstrate its dual capabilities to carry out short-range missiles launched from land, cruise missiles launched from submarines, and nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US mainland. “With the latest ICBM test on the 16th ahead of the Korea-Japan summit and the launch of more than 70 missiles already last year, Kim Jong Un is desperately in a strong position to force the United States to accept North Korea as a nuclear power,” he said. We are accelerating weapons development with the goal of negotiating necessary sanctions relief.”
'Nuclear Counterattack' simulates a Soviet nuclear attack in Reaganomics in 1981, reinforces nuclear missiles in response, and 'threats of nuclear war' by automatic launch as an early warning system leads to the Soviet Union breaking away from the arms race and reaching strategic nuclear reduction negotiations in 1987. It corresponds to the initial stage tactics of the 'nuclear chick game' and the 'socialist economic system backbone breaking strategy'.
With North Korea's 'nuclear counterattack' and the launch of ICBMs in the direction of Japan on the 16th, it shows an approach to negotiations with Japan, which is out of the ROK-US military training.
In a statement from the Korea-Japan summit on the 16th, Japan stated that Prime Minister Kishida had stated that "the path of dialogue is open" to North Korea's ballistic missile launch, and President Yoon Seok-yeol excluded this part from condemning North Korea's missiles.
<See “Korea-US-Japan Cooperation” by Yoon Seok-yeol, “Japan is open to dialogue” on North Korean missiles, March 17, 2023>