North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to “exponentially” increase production of nuclear warheads this year.
North Korean state media reported on Sunday that Kim had called for a drastic increase in the country’s military power to protect the national interest, at a time when the United States and its allies exert increased military pressure on North Korea.
Quoted by the official North Korean news agency, Kim Jong-un said that North Korea is forced to “exponentially” increase the manufacture of nuclear warheads to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons.
The same source said the North Korean leader had ordered the production of a new type of ICBM capable of a rapid retaliatory strike and that Pyongyang would soon launch its first military spy satellite.
Such statements were issued during a meeting of the ruling party in the country.
Shortly before, North Korea had already been reported to have fired a short-range ballistic missile that landed in waters to the east of the country, entering 2023 with yet another weapons test, following a record number of missile launches in 2022.
The South Korean Army detected the launch of the North Korean missile from the region of the capital, Pyongyang, at 02:50 local time (17:50 on Saturday, December 31, 2022, in Lisbon), indicated the Chiefs of Staff from army. Armed Forces in a statement, specifying that the missile traveled some 400 kilometers until it fell into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan and classifying the shot as “a serious provocation” that endangers peace and security on that peninsula and in all the world.
The note also added that South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea’s movements, in coordination with the United States, and remains ready to deal with any provocation.
On the last day of 2022, Pyongyang fired three short-range ballistic missiles, according to the Seoul military, a day after South Korea successfully tested a solid-fuel space launcher.
North Korean fire also followed an incursion by five ‘drones’ (unmanned flying devices) into South Korean airspace earlier in the week.
The North Korean incursion was the first such incident in five years and prompted an apology from the Seoul Defense Minister for the failure of its Air Force, which failed to shoot down a single one of these ‘drones’, despite the mobilization of fighters. for a mission that lasted five hours.
Source: Observadora
