Today, amid rising tensions between the two Koreas, state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for the creation of new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal to combat threats posed by the US.
Kim emphasized the need for “overwhelming military power” to protect the country’s sovereignty and security at a Workers’ Party meeting.
The North’s series of missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and the North’s drone intrusion into the South last week heightened cross-border tensions.
Kim referred to the “unprecedented in human history” deployment of US 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 substantially increase the military muscle… in response to the worrying military moves by the US and other hostile forces.”
According to Kim, South Korea has transformed into “our undoubted enemy,” and the country is “hell-bent on imprudent and dangerous arms buildup” and hostile military moves.
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 nation will also launch its first military satellite “at the earliest date possible” as part of the plan by accelerating its drive to build a spy satellite, with vehicle preparations now in their final stage.
