Kim Jong Un plans an “exponential increase” in North Korea’s nuclear weapons by 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to increase his nuclear arsenal in the new year to quell hostile US and South Korean actions, in a keynote address in which he left almost no opportunity for a return to lengthy disarmament talks.
In a speech delivered at the end of a nearly week-long meeting of his ruling Workers Party, Kim said Washington and Seoul are targeting his government, increasing its need to produce even more nuclear weapons, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday .
“Now that the South Korean puppet forces, who have dubbed the DPRK as their ‘main army’ and openly trumpeted ‘preparations for war’, have taken over our undisputed enemy, this underscores the importance and necessity of mass production of tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase in nuclear arsenals of the country,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying in a report. Its state is officially called the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and uses lowercase letters in its media when referring to its neighbor.
Kim’s report at the conclusion of the plenary session of his ruling Labor Party’s Central Committee appeared to take the place of his traditional New Year’s address. He also pledged that his state would launch its first military satellite and develop a new type of ICBM that could be used to deliver a warhead to the US mainland.
“The prevailing situation requires intensified efforts to overwhelmingly strengthen the military force to thoroughly defend the sovereignty, security and fundamental interests of the republic in response to the worrying military moves by the US and other hostile forces aimed squarely at the DPRK.” to ensure,” KCNA said Kim was quoted as saying in the report.
With the threat of new sanctions low and plans already underway to advance weapons such as drones, submarines and missiles, Kim has sought to further improve his ability to launch a credible nuclear strike against the US and its allies like South Korea and Japan .
The North Korean leader has raised tensions to levels not seen in years by launching more than 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, lowering his guard rails on the use of nuclear weapons and saying he sees no need to return to the negotiating table to change Support talks to wind down its nuclear arsenal in exchange for lifting sanctions stifling its state’s ailing economy.
His state fired three short-range ballistic missiles on the last day of the year and fired another just hours into the new year, a defiant show of force that could set the tone for a further escalation in tensions.
Kim faced one of the most difficult years of his decade in power domestically in 2022, admitting a Covid outbreak in a country that has rejected international vaccination assistance. Severe weather exacerbated a chronic food shortage, and his decision to close borders early in the pandemic brought his state’s petty legitimate trade to a halt and triggered the worst economic slump in decades.
Kim also appears poised to conduct his first nuclear test since 2017 as he seeks to miniaturize warheads for tactical weapons to attack South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of US troops in Asia. A nuclear detonation could also help increase the power of a warhead he could attach to an ICBM that could hit the American mainland.
The US, South Korea and Japan have pledged strict, coordinated punishment if Kim tests a nuclear weapon. But years of sanctions and isolation have not persuaded Kim to change course. Now there is almost no chance that Russia or China, which has veto power in the United Nations Security Council, would support new measures against North Korea, as they did in 2017 during a series of tests that raised global concerns.
Kim has ignored US attempts to return to nuclear disarmament talks and brought his daughter to her state media debut to attend the launch of an ICBM in November – signaling another generation ready to become the last unbroken family dynasty of the Cold War, and nuclear weapons will be essential to its survival.
Kim has also shown signs of easing border restrictions to allow more trade with long-term partners China and Russia, which could weaken the global sanctions regime. The US has accused North Korea of selling arms to Russia to support Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine, despite UN sanctions. Pyongyang has dismissed the accusation as a baseless rumor, but has also restored its only train service with Russia, which was suspended almost three years ago because of Covid-19.
North Korea could prove its power in the coming weeks. Special service NK News said satellite images from December showed thousands of North Korean soldiers had started training for a military parade.
In his speech a year ago, Kim urged North Korea to focus on easing food shortages and curbing Covid, in a scathing assessment of New Year politics that indicated nuclear talks with the US were a low priority.
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