Kim Jong-un has been seen driving a new-type tank in a series of exercises as part of a mock battle.
After the United States sounded the alarm about North Korea deploying chemical weapons to eliminate targets abroad as part of its latest global threat assessment, the military has now tried simulating a ‘real war’.
Kim’s head was seen poking up from the driver’s seat of a brand new tank during a guided military demonstration on Wednesday.
According to state media KCNA on Thursday, the North Korean leader expressed “great satisfaction” when his battle successfully demonstrated its striking power.
“Swiftly weaving their way through various worst combat circumstances, heavy tanks hit targets at once with powerful strikes and broke through strong defence lines with high manoeuvrability,” the report said.
READ MORE: Kim Jong-un calls for ‘merciless’ strikes in preparation for ‘actual war’ with South Korea
The “training match” was designed to inspect the combat capabilities of tank crews, it also claimed.
The aim was to make them familiar with combat action on different tactical missions – and the 105th Tank Division was declared the winner of the mock battle.
This was the unit which occupied the South Korean capital Seoul during the Korean War, KCNA said.
Tanks with North Korean flags on top were shown blasting ammunition on the mock battlefield.
Kim, who was joined by senior officials including Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam, was seen wearing a black leather jacket.
In photos released by KCNA, beaming Kim was seen standing on top of a tank while soliders crowded around him.
Large plumes of smoke and fire could be seen coming from the military vehicles.
