North moves to integrate conventional, nuclear forces with latest tank, drone, rocket drills
Published: 20 Mar. 2026, 17:23
![North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/20/04af3b6c-4110-4099-8daf-a3171049413c.jpg)
North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [NEWS1]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emphasized “completing war readiness” while overseeing tank and drone drills on Thursday, the same day the South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield exercise came to an end.
The drill followed North Korea’s test on Saturday of a 600-millimeter (24-inch) multiple rocket launcher capable of carrying the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead. This time, Pyongyang combined modernized conventional forces — including new tanks and drones — with its nuclear capabilities.
Analysts say the move shows North Korea aims to combine conventional and nuclear forces — known as conventional-nuclear integration (CNI) — to strengthen deterrence and enable pre-emptive strikes against South Korea. They say Pyongyang is applying lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war to its armored warfare doctrine.
The Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps of the Korean People’s Army on Thursday to observe a coordinated offensive drill involving infantry and tank units.
“The tactical drill was aimed at getting familiar with the coordinated order and combat methods in the tactical sub-units' offensive action to expand successes in their attack through an assault of tanks and infantrymen after striking, raiding and occupying the enemy's anti-armor [defense] line,” the report said.
![North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/20/b551e284-7512-491c-96c9-848771dbc971.jpg)
North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [NEWS1]
The newspaper also claimed that various tests were conducted to inspect the “new-type main battle tank's active protection system,” adding that the tank intercepted anti-tank missiles and drones approaching from different directions with a 100 percent hit rate.
Experts believe the tank used in the drill is likely the Cheonma-20, unveiled during the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling party’s founding in October last year. The mention of an active protection system suggests Pyongyang is seeking to highlight the tank as a 3.5-generation model capable of automatically detecting and intercepting incoming threats.
“The drill is notable in that it presents a North Korean response to drones and anti-tank missiles, which have reshaped modern warfare,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. “The new technologies applied to the tank appear to be the result of data and technological exchanges gained through participation in the Russia-Ukraine war.”
Kim said it took seven years to develop the tank’s core technologies and emphasized that it incorporates systems to enhance survivability and detect threats from all directions, enabling it to neutralize aerial targets, such as anti-tank missiles and drones, with high precision.
![North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/20/79111613-5597-4674-a646-d31a6e64a691.jpg)
North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [YONHAP]
“I am sure that no armored weapon with as strong self-defensive capability as that of this tank exists in the world,” Kim said. “From now on, our ground forces will be equipped with these superior tanks extensively, and our armored forces developed onto a higher stage.”
“As [Kim] has repeatedly stressed, the People's Army should organize training for an actual war and training competitions aimed to improve the combat efficiency, more intensively and more frequently, so that it can swiftly and exactly perform any combat missions under different situations in contingency,” the report continued.
Since defining inter-Korean relations as those between “two hostile states” during a year-end Workers’ Party plenary meeting in 2023, Kim has repeatedly signaled his intent toward what is effectively the forcible unification of the Korean Peninsula. His latest remarks are seen as an attempt to demonstrate that North Korea has secured the CNI capabilities needed to realize that strategy.
![North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/20/59e21c5d-5743-4684-9364-2f9e448a5644.jpg)
North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae visited the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defense Corps on March 19, where he observed a joint offensive tactical drill involving infantry and tank units. [YONHAP]
Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, also accompanied him during the inspection. Photos released by state media showed her driving a new tank carrying Kim and senior military officials.
Kim Ju-ae has attended all of her father’s public military-related activities since the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. On Feb. 28 and March 12, state media released images of her holding a sniper rifle alone and firing a pistol alongside military officials.
“The release of images showing Ju-ae firing weapons and riding a tank appears to be part of a sophisticated propaganda effort to portray the next leader as a ‘military prodigy’ well-versed in modern warfare,” Prof. Lim said. “It signals a transition from a mere observer to a ‘warrior’ and ‘commander,’ reinforcing the narrative of succession.”
Unification Ministry deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong said in a regular briefing on Friday that “Ju-ae accompanied all of the [North Korean] training activities reported during the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises,” adding that the government will continue to monitor developments in coordination with relevant agencies while taking into account intelligence assessments regarding succession.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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