North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo: AP.
Mr. Kim’s comments came during a key meeting of the Workers’ Party to set state-level goals for the coming year.
During the five-day meeting that ended on Saturday, December 30, Mr. Kim said the moves by the US and other countries against North Korea were unprecedented this year, pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
“The serious situation requires us to speed up our work to have superior war response capabilities as well as comprehensive and perfect military readiness to prevent any form of provocation by adversaries.” immediate enemy,” Mr. Kim said, according to KCNA.
Mr. Kim plans to launch three more military reconnaissance satellites next year in addition to the country’s first reconnaissance satellite launched in November. He also ordered the government to promote the production of more weapons. nuclear weapons and developing many types of modern unmanned combat equipment such as armed drones and powerful electronic warfare equipment, KCNA said.
These statements show that he will continue a series of weapons tests to expand his arsenal in the context of long-dormant diplomatic efforts with the US. Observers believe that diplomatic activities may resume after the US presidential election in November next year.
Kim has focused on modernizing his nuclear and missile arsenal since his high-level nuclear diplomacy with then-President Donald Trump broke down in 2019 over a dispute over international sanctions against North Korea.
Since last year, Kim’s military has test-fired more than 100 ballistic missiles, many of them nuclear-capable weapons, aimed at the mainland United States and South Korea, in violation of a UN ban. United Nations.
The US and South Korea responded by expanding military exercises and deploying US strategic assets such as bombers, aircraft carriers and nuclear-armored submarines. North Korea calls these moves an invasion rehearsal led by the US.
Faced with deepening confrontations with the US and its partners, North Korea has sought to strengthen cooperation with Russia and China. The US and South Korea accuse North Korea of providing conventional weapons such as artillery and ammunition to Russia in exchange for Russian high technology to promote the country’s military programs.
Julianne Smith, the US permanent representative to NATO, said earlier this month that the US assesses that the suspected Russian technologies that North Korea is seeking are related to fighter aircraft, land-based missiles. anti-aircraft, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials of that kind. Smith said US intelligence indicates that North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition.
South Korean officials said Russian support may have helped North Korea put its spy satellite into orbit for the first time on November 21. Many foreign experts are skeptical about this satellite’s ability to take high-resolution images of military significance. However, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said in November that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite images.