North Korea test-fires missiles as part of mock 'nuclear attack'

North Korea staged a "simulated tactical nuclear attack" drill, firing two long-range cruise missiles tipped with mock warheads into the ocean. Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point. Kim Jong Un has declared North Korea an "irreversible" nuclear power, calling for increased arms production.

North Korea staged a "simulated tactical nuclear attack" drill at the weekend with mock atomic warheads attached to two long-range cruise missiles that were test-fired into the ocean, state-controlled media reported Sunday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the operation early Saturday was a "counteraction drill" in response to joint military activity by U.S. and South Korean forces that the agency said had escalated tensions in the region.

"A firing drill for simulated tactical nuclear attack was conducted at dawn of September 2 to warn the enemies of the actual nuclear war danger," KCNA reported.

Also Read: North Korea fires cruise missiles into the sea after U.S.-South Korean military drills end

"Two long-range strategic cruise missiles tipped with mock nuclear warheads were fired" from North Korea's west coast into the sea to the south, it said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Saturday that an unspecified number of cruise missiles were launched at around 4:00 am (1900 GMT) towards the Yellow Sea, adding that the specifications of the missiles were being evaluated.

A JCS official dismissed Pyongyang's claims, calling them "exaggerated", the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.