North Korea conducts simulated "tactical nuclear attack" drill on Saturday

North Korea on Sunday announced that it carried out a simulated "tactical nuclear attack" drill on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported citing the state news agency KCNA.

The drill was carried out with two long-range missiles equipped with mock atomic warheads.

According to the KCNA news agency, the practice was conducted early Saturday to "warn enemies" that the country would be prepared in the event of nuclear war.

With the tactical drill, North Korea laid emphasis on strengthening military deterrence against South Korea and the United States.

Pyongyang has conducted a succession of missile tests and military manoeuvres in recent weeks, including a botched spy satellite launch late last month. This time for the tactical drill, the two cruise missiles carrying mock nuclear warheads were fired towards the West Sea off the peninsula, Al Jazeera reported.

It flew 1,500km (930 miles) at a preset altitude of 150 metres, the state news agency said.

It happened only days after the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint annual summertime exercises between South Korea and the United States ended on Thursday following an 11-day run that included air drills with B-1B bombers.

North Korea, which has long criticised the drills as a dress rehearsal for war, fired two ballistic missiles on Thursday in response to the deployment of US strategic bombers, reported Al Jazeera.

Last week, North Korea's second attempt to launch a spy satellite, Malligyong-1 into orbit failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system in the third stage of the rocket.

North Korea's KCNA reported that the National Aerospace Development Administration launched the second reconnaissance satellite - Malligyong-1 aboard the new-type carrier rocket Chollima-1 at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground after the first one failed in May.