SOURCE: REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided a military demonstration involving a new battle tank, state media KCNA reported Thursday, in the latest show of force by the isolated state as South Korea and the United States wrapped up joint drills.
Kim expressed “great satisfaction” that the new type of main battle tank successfully demonstrated its striking power in its first performance display on Wednesday, KCNA said.
The “training match” was designed to inspect the combat capabilities of tank crews and make them familiar with combat action on different tactical missions, it said.
“Swiftly weaving their way through various worst combat circumstances, heavy tanks hit targets at once with powerful strikes and broke through strong defense lines with high maneuverability,” the report said.
The 105th Tank Division, which was declared the winner of the mock battle, was the unit that occupied the South Korean capital, Seoul, during the Korean War, KCNA said.
Kim was joined at the event by senior officials, including Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam.
In a photograph published by KCNA, the leader of the reclusive state could be seen with his head peeking out of a tank as state media reported he drove the tank himself.
Other photographs showed Kim sporting a leather jacket and surrounded by troops, and also tanks with the North Korean flag blasting ammunition on a field.
The mock battle comes as joint annual drills involving South Korea and the U.S. were due to wrap up on Thursday. The drills, known as the Freedom Shield exercises, were the first to take place since Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military pact aimed at de-escalating tensions in November.