North Korea to increase nuclear arsenal
2023.01.01 04:49
North Korea to increase nuclear arsenal
Budrigannews.com – State media reported on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had called for the creation of new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal in response to threats posed by the United States, amid rising tensions between the two Koreas.
Kim emphasized the need for “overwhelming military power” to protect the country’s sovereignty and security at a Workers’ Party meeting.
The intrusion of North Korean drones into the South last week and the North’s series of missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, heightened cross-border tensions.
According to a statement from his office, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called for “solid mental readiness and practical training” during phone calls with military chiefs to ensure that any North Korean provocations will be met with retaliation.
Kim described the “unprecedented in human history” deployment of U.S. nuclear strike assets in South Korea as an attempt by Washington and Seoul to “isolate and stifle” Pyongyang.
According to the official KCNA news agency, he promised to develop another ICBM system “whose main mission is quick nuclear counter-strike” as part of a plan to increase the country’s nuclear force.
According to the statement, “The prevailing situation calls for making redoubled efforts to overwhelmingly beef up the military muscle… in response to the worrying military moves by the U.S. and other hostile forces.”
According to Kim, South Korea is “hell-bent on imprudent and dangerous arms buildup” and hostile military moves, making it “our undoubted enemy.”
Kim stated, “It highlights the importance and necessity of a mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal,” adding that these would be the “main orientation” of the nuclear and defense strategy for 2023.
According to KCNA, the country will also launch its first military satellite “at the earliest date possible” as part of the plan. This will be accomplished by accelerating its drive to construct a spy satellite, with final preparations underway.
In a rare weapons test on New Year’s Day, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its east coast, according to the report.
The secluded nation likewise sent off three long range rockets on Saturday, covering a year set apart by a record number of rocket tests.
In a separate dispatch, the KCNA stated that it was testing a brand-new, extremely large multiple rocket launcher with a 600 mm diameter that could carry nuclear weapons.
Kim praised the munitions industry for delivering 30 units of the system, describing it as a “core, offensive weapon” with the capability of conducting a surprise and precise launch and encompassing all of South Korea.
Kim said at a delivery ceremony on Saturday, “We have declared our resolute will to respond with nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for all-out confrontation,” and he ordered more powerful weapons to “absolutely overwhelm the U.S. imperialist aggressive forces and their puppet army.”
Since Yoon took office in May, vowing to take a tougher stance against Pyongyang, inter-Korean relations have been tense.
Yoon once more urged the military to be ready to respond to the recent drone intrusion into South Korea’s airspace on Sunday.
Yoon stated to the military chiefs, “Our military must resolutely retaliate against any provocation by the enemy with the determination to fight.”
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea, the most recent missile was fired from the Ryongsong area of the capital Pyongyang at approximately 2:50 a.m. local time (17:50 GMT).
The JCS demanded an immediate halt to the North’s series of missile tests, calling them “grave provocations.”
Japan’s coast monitor said the rocket arrived at a height of around 100 km and zoomed around 350 km. According to Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, Tokyo had protested the launch to North Korea through Beijing’s diplomatic channels.
The launch, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, highlighted the destabilizing effects of North Korea’s weapons program while posing no immediate threat to American personnel or territory.
In 2022, North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles, continuing its weapon development amid speculation that it might conduct a seventh nuclear test.
For the first time since 2017, the North also resumed testing ICBMs in November, successfully launching the massive new Hwasong-17, which could strike anywhere in the United States.
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