North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has called for a ‘drastic intensification’ of missile manufacturing, state news agency KCNA reports, as Seoul and Washington prepare for drills joint military. According to KCNA, the autocratic leader inspected factories producing missiles, ammunition for large-caliber multiple rocket launchers, as well as armored fighting vehicles, during several visits on Friday and Saturday.
The leader expressed his “satisfaction” when visiting a missile production center that managed to “perfect scientific and technological issues related to production” and upgraded weapons.
“He set an important goal: to dramatically increase missile production capacity,” and highlighted the factory’s role in “accelerating” preparations for war, according to KCNA. Kim stressed “the need to boost shell production” and personally drove an armored fighting vehicle, the agency said. Photos published by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper show a beaming Kim Jong-un sitting in the driver’s seat of a “new model of armored fighting vehicle”.
During these inspections, he also visited ammunition production plants for very large caliber multiple rocket launchers and transporter-erector-launchers (TEL). North Korea’s military must have “overwhelming military strength” and be “ready to face any war at any time”, Kim said, saying it must “annihilate the enemy if attacked, KCNA reported.
The visits came as South Korea and the United States prepare for joint exercises, dubbed “Ulchi Freedom Shield,” to take place from August 21-31. Pyongyang sees all of these exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has repeatedly warned that it will take “crushing” measures to respond to them.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul called the maneuvers “a challenging and realistic exercise aimed at enhancing the alliance’s joint defense posture and response capabilities.” A summit between the leaders of South Korea, United States and Japan are due to meet in Washington on Friday, with the aim of strengthening their security cooperation in the face of an increasingly threatening North Korea.
