Kim Jong Un presides over unusual nighttime drill

SEOUL, June 16 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed an unusual 3 a.m. nighttime military exercise conducted on land and sea, Pyongyang reported Tuesday.

North Korea's state-controlled media outlet KCNA did not specify whether the drills had taken place on Monday or Tuesday but it was a rare visit for Kim Jong Un, Yonhap reported.

Kim typically observes military exercises conducted during the day. South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Sinmun reported the visit mostly likely took place on Monday, before North Korea sent an official statement to the South, suggesting the resumption of bilateral talks.

Pyongyang's public announcement of Kim's participation in the drills could mean there was a lack of sincerity on North Korea's part, regarding its recent message of reconciliation to the South, according to Yonhap.

North Korea said the nighttime drills involving naval vessels and ground artillery were purely for defense purposes.

KCNA claimed the drills were a success and that North Korea's troops "mercilessly beat maritime targets using instant and multiple fire tactics."

Kim reportedly expressed his satisfaction on a "job well done."

"The focus [of the drill] was very good, as if the shells had eyes," Kim said, according to KCNA.

Hwang Pyong So, a military official regarded as Pyongyang's No. 2 man, attended the drill involving North Korea's 10th Infantry Division.

Pyongyang recently raised provocation with its underwater test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic missile test.

North Korea's envoy to the U.N. has defended the move, and said in a statement, "The recent underwater test-fire by the DPRK of a ballistic missile from a strategic submarine is a legitimate measure of a sovereign state to bolster up its self-defense capability against the provocative military maneuvers of the United States."