North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has toured the country’s key weapons factories this week, including those producing launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, as he pledged to advance his military’s arms and war readiness.
The leader’s three-day inspections came as South Korea and the US prepared for another round of combined military exercises planned for later this month.
Just last week Kim exhibited North Korea’s banned ballistic missiles to Russia’s defence minister as the two countries pledged to boost ties, state media reported.
Some experts say Kim’s tour of the weapons factories between August 3 and 5 could be related to possible military cooperation with Moscow that may involve North Korean supplies of artillery and other ammunition, as Russian President Vladimir Putin reaches out to other countries for support in the war in Ukraine.
During a visit to an unspecified factory producing large-calibre artillery systems, Kim stressed the facility’s “important responsibility and duty” in further boosting his military’s “war preparations,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
The leader praised the factory’s efforts to employ “scientific and technological measures” to improve the quality of shells, reduce processing times for propellent tubes and increase manufacturing speed. He also urged the factory to move ahead with development and large-scale production of new kinds of ammunition, the KCNA said.
Kim echoed the message in visits to two other factories, calling the delivery of launcher trucks designed to transport and fire ballistic missiles “a top priority” for the military and urging for the “rapid expansion” of production of more reliable engines for cruise missiles and drones.
North Korean photos showed Kim walking past huge launcher trucks designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles which recent tests indicated they could potentially reach the US mainland.
Other photos showed him firing scoped rifles during a visit to a small arms factory where he said soldiers’ firearms need to be modernised, according to KCNA.
His tour of the weapons factories comes after the 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.
North Korea has been aligning with Russia over the war in Ukraine, insisting that the “hegemonic policy” of the West forced Moscow to take military action to protect its security interests.
Pyongyang has denied US accusations that it has been providing arms to Russia to aid its fighting in Ukraine.
Cheong said Kim’s comments at the factory about making missile-launch trucks could indicate that the North is seeing some progress in increasing the production of those vehicles, which would possibly improve the operational range of its ballistic weapons designed to target neighbouring rivals and the US mainland.
