Amid the escalating war involving Iran, tensions are rising on another front as North Korea carried out a powerful weapons test that has rattled the United States and its allies. Pyongyang conducted a firepower strike drill using 600-millimetre nuclear-capable multiple rocket launchers, striking an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 kilometres away. The exercise was personally overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, widely seen as a possible future successor. According to Korean Central News Agency, the drill involved 12 ultra-precision rocket launchers operated by units of the Korean People's Army. Kim said the exercise was meant to send a warning to enemies within a 420-kilometre strike range, highlighting what he called the destructive potential of tactical nuclear weapons. The test came just a day after North Korea launched around 10 ballistic missiles into the sea, with Japan confirming the projectiles landed outside its exclusive economic zone.