Kim Jong Un watches as North Korea carries out missile tests

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised firing drills involving nuclear-capable “super-large” multiple rocket launchers to show the country’s ability to carry out pre-emptive attacks on South Korea, state media has reported.

Friday’s announcement follows South Korea saying its neighbour had conducted ballistic missile tests on Thursday.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported its latest weapons tests are meant to demonstrate that the country will not to hesitate to launch a pre-emptive strike on South Korea, if threatened.

It cited Mr Kim as saying that the drills “will serve as an occasion in clearly showing what consequences our rivals will face if they provoke us”.

That refers to a South Korean aerial exercise performed hours before North Korea’s failed attempt on Monday to launch a second spy satellite into orbit.

The multiple rocket launchers, which are capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads, are one of North Korea’s main weapons systems targeting South Korea.

Photos released by state media showed Mr Kim watching from a distance as at least 18 projectiles were fired from launch trucks. South Korea’s military earlier said North Korea fired about 10 suspected ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast.

North Korea’s failed spy satellite launch drew strong condemnation from the US, South Korea and others because the United Nations bans any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as covers for testing missile technologies. North Korea maintains it has the rights to launch satellites and test missiles.

In recent years, North Korea has been engaged in a run of weapons tests to bolster its nuclear capability to cope with what it calls intensifying U.S. military threats.