North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the country’s important weapon factories including those manufacturing launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and artillery systems and pledged to boost his war readiness, state media said on Sunday (August 6).
The North Korean leader’s three-day inspections starting Saturday come as the United States and South Korea prepared for their next round of combined military exercises slated later this month to cope with the escalating North Korean threat.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their zenith in several years as the rate of North Korea's missile tests and the joint U.S. -South Korea military exercises, which Kim sees as invasion rehearsals, have both intensified.
According to some experts, Kim’s tour of the weapons factories may also be in connection with military cooperation with Moscow that may involve North Korean supplies of artillery and other ammunition as Russian President Vladimir Putin approaches other countries to seek support in the war in Ukraine.
What Kim Jong Un said during his visit?
During Kim's visit to an unspecified factory producing large-caliber artillery systems, he stressed the factory's “important responsibilities and tasks in perfecting (the North's) war readiness,” a media report said.
Kim lauded the factory’s efforts to use “scientific and technological measures” to improve the quality of shells, reduce processing times for propellent tubes and increase manufacturing speed. He also stressed on the need to produce new types of shells, it added.
Kim visited another factory that manufactured launcher trucks designed to transport and fire ballistic missiles and said that it is a priority to increase the supply of vehicles for the military and complimented workers for establishing a “solid foundation” for production.
At a factory producing engines for cruise missiles and drones, Kim called for “rapidly expanding” production, the media report said.
Kim also stopped at a small arms factory where he emphasised on the need to modernize the soldiers’ weapons.
Photos published by state media showed Kim firing at least two different scoped rifles from a table.
Kim has been attempting to boost the visibility of his partnerships with Russia and China, in the wake of growing confrontations with Washington and Seoul.
The North Korean leader is trying to insert himself into a united front against the United States.
His tour of the weapons factories comes after a giant military parade last month in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, where Kim was joined by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese ruling party official while rolling out his most powerful missiles designed to target South Korea and the United States.
(With AP inputs)
