North Korea: Mr. Kim Jong Un has directed the North Korean military to “accelerate” war preparations, including the nuclear programme, in response to what he described as unprecedented aggressive actions by the United States.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Mr. Kim “set forth the militant tasks for the People’s Army and the munitions industry, nuclear weapons, and civil defence sectors to further accelerate war preparations” during a speech at a continuing meeting of the nation’s ruling Workers’ Party.
Additionally, Mr. Kim emphasised that “unprecedented” anti-North confrontations with the US were to blame for the “extreme” state of the “military situation” on the Korean peninsula, as per the report.
In response to a record-breaking string of weapons tests by Pyongyang, South Korea, Japan, and the US have strengthened their defence and political cooperation this year. They recently activated a system to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches.
A US nuclear-powered submarine made its way into the port city of Busan, South Korea, earlier this month. Meanwhile, Washington has been practising with Seoul and Tokyo using its long-range bombers.
In the meantime, Pyongyang successfully launched its first military spy satellite on its third attempt, tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, and declared nuclear power status in the nation’s constitution.
2023 was described as a “year of great turn and great change” by Mr. Kim earlier this week, during which Pyongyang achieved “eye-opening victories.”
Although some analysts think Mr. Kim is trying to gain leverage towards diplomacy with Washington, perhaps after the US presidential election in November of next year, his remarks indicate North Korea is unlikely to slow the pace of its weapons tests or military modernization.
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