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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 which occupied the South Korean
capital Seoul during the Korean War, KCNA said.
Kim was joined by senior officials including Defense Minister
Kang Sun Nam at the event.
In a photograph published by KCNA, the leader of the reclusive
state could be seen with his head peaking out of a tank as the
state media reported he drove the tank himself.
Meanwhile, 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.
As part of the drills, South Korea's army said the combined
forces had conducted a joint live fire exercise at a training
base in the city of Pocheon in the past week.
The live fire drill featured tanks, armored cars as well as
FA-50 fighter jets, the army said in a statement.
North Korea has long condemned such military drills as
rehearsals for war, while Seoul has portrayed the exercises as
purely defensive.
Kim's appearance at the demonstration comes after he guided an
artillery firing drill by the Korean People's Army, the
country's military force, last week.
The drill involved units near the border that are in firing
range of "the enemy's capital," KCNA said, referring to Seoul,
which has nearly 10 million residents.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Sandra Maler, Ed Davies and
Lincoln Feast.)
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