Kim Jong-un drives new North Korean tank as he plays soldier in mock battle

Kim Jong-un drove a new model of tank as he oversaw a simulated battle showcasing North Korea’s military prowess as South Korea and the US concluded their joint drills.

North Korean state media KCNA said a “training match” was held on Wednesday to assess the combat readiness of tank crew selected from large combined units that contested in the drill.

Heavy tanks moved around various simulated harsh combat circumstances and fired rounds at targets. It showcased a new type of vehicle which the North Korean leader called the “most powerful tank in the world”, according to the report.

It’s the third time Mr Kim was reported to have observed military exercises since the start of the 11-day South Korean-US exercises, which he views as rehearsals for an invasion. North Korea has intensified missile launches since 2022 and ramped up belligerent rhetoric this year.

South Korea and the US have characterised the military drills as solely defensive in nature.

Mr Kim “expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the new-type main battle tank successfully demonstrated its very excellent striking power and mobility, displaying its amazing combat capability for the first time in the tankmen’s match”.

Sporting a black leather jacket, Mr Kim not only watched the drill from a field command post with binoculars but actively participated to demonstrate his military leadership firsthand.

The North Korean leader was seen peeking out from inside one of the tanks as he appeared to ride it and posed with the winning team of camouflage-uniformed troops.

The exercise concluded with Mr Kim declaring the 105th Tank Division the winner of the battle. It was the same unit which occupied the South Korean capital Seoul during the Korean War, KCNA said.

The mega annual drills, called Freedom Shield exercises, were the first set of joint exercises to take place since Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military pact aimed at de-escalating tensions in November.

On Thursday, Mr Kim was joined by defence minister Kang Sun Nam at the event and other senior ranking officials.

The defence minister had earlier sharply reacted to the South Korean-US military exercises and vowed to carry out “responsible military activities”. He said the two countries would “pay a dear price”.

Mr Kim guided an artillery firing drill by the Korean People’s Army, the country’s military force, last week. His pictures from the visit showed Mr Kim handling a rifle. He also urged the army to intensify “actual war drills”.

The leader of the reclusive country has significantly increased his public appearances in recent months, according to a South Korean study of media coverage.

Mr Kim has 11 public appearances in the span of three months through February, the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul said.