North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of short-range ballistic missile systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces, state media said on Friday, as the North continued to blame its rivals for escalating tensions through their joint military exercises.

The report came a day after South Korea’s military detected multiple launches from North Korea’s eastern coast. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Thursday’s tests were intended to train military units operating missile and rocket systems to more effectively execute nuclear attack weapon systems and ensure a swift response to a nuclear crisis.