North Korean leader Kim Jong Un conducted another inspection tour of major munitions factories and ordered a drastic increase in missile and other weapon production, state media reported Monday, just days before South Korea and the United States begin annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
Kim’s quest for more weapons comes as US officials believe Russia’s defense minister recently discussed selling more weaponry to Russia for its fight with Ukraine.
Kim toured companies producing tactical missiles, mobile launch platforms, armored vehicles, and artillery shells on Friday and Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
During a visit to the missile plant, Kim stated his intention to “dramatically increase” production capacity so that the facility can mass produce missiles to satisfy the needs of frontline military units, according to KCNA.
“The qualitative level of war preparations depends on the development of the munitions industry and the factory bears a very important responsibility in speeding up the war preparations of the (North) Korean People’s Army,” Kim said, according to the report.
During his visits to other companies, Kim asked for the construction of more advanced missile launch vehicles and stated that there is an urgent need to increase production of large-caliber multiple rocket launcher shells “at an exponential rate,” according to the article. According to KCNA, Kim also drove a new utility combat armored vehicle.
Since his high-stakes negotiations with then-US President Donald Trump faltered in 2019, Kim has been concentrated on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals. Since the beginning of 2022, Kim’s military has launched over 100 missile launches, many of which were done to warn the US and South Korea about the increase of joint military training operations.
North Korea may conduct additional nuclear tests shortly, as the United States and South Korea prepare to begin its summer military drills later this month. North Korea regards the US-South Korean training as a dress rehearsal for an invasion. The allies maintain they have no plans to attack North Korea.
According to KCNA, Kim stated that North Korea must have “an overwhelming military force and be fully prepared to deal with any war” with the ability to “certainly annihilate” its adversaries.
Many observers believe Kim intends to utilize his updated nuclear arsenals to extract US concessions, including as sanctions relief, whenever engagement with Washington restarts.
The White House announced earlier this month that US intelligence officers had decided that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed expanding the sale of armaments to Moscow for its war in Ukraine with North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang last month.
North Korea has denied sending artillery shells and ammunition to Russia, as claimed by the United States. However, the North has officially backed Russia in the conflict and has hinted at sending laborers to help rebuild Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.
In the face of US-led pressure campaigns over its nuclear program and pandemic-related economic woes, Kim has attempted to strengthen connections with China and Russia.
