Prior to US-South Korea exercises, Kim Jong Un demands a dramatic increase in missile manufacturing

Days before South Korea and the US start their annual military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion practice, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made another inspection tour of major munitions factories and ordered a sharp increase in the production of missiles and other weapons, state media reported on Monday.

Additionally, US authorities think that Russia’s defense minister recently spoke with North Korea about selling additional weapons to Russia for its conflict with Ukraine. This is why Kim is pushing to build more weapons.

 

Kim reportedly toured companies that make tactical missiles, mobile launchers, armored vehicles, and artillery rounds on Friday and Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

 

In order for the facility to create missiles in large quantities to fulfill the demands of frontline military units, Kim set a target to “dramatically boost” production capacity during a visit to the missile plant, according to KCNA.

 

According to the article, Kim said that “the quality level of war preparations depends on the growth of the munitions industry and the factory bears a very important responsibility in hastening the (North) Korean People’s Army’s war preparations.”

 

While touring other industries, Kim urged for the construction of more contemporary missile launch vehicles and said that the manufacturing of large-caliber multiple rocket launcher rounds must be increased immediately and “at an exponential rate,” according to the report. According to KCNA, Kim also used a modern utility combat armored vehicle.

 

Since his high-stakes negotiations with then-US President Donald Trump broke down in 2019, Kim has been concentrating on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals. More than 100 missile launches have been carried out by Kim’s military since the year 2022, many of them in an effort to warn the US and South Korea about the increase of their joint military training activities.

 

As the United States and South Korea prepare to begin their summer military drills later this month, North Korea may soon conduct further nuclear tests. The US-South Korean training is referred to as invasion practice by North Korea. The allies assert that they do not plan to invade North Korea.

 

Kim was reported by KCNA as adding that North Korea needed to have “an overwhelming military force and get fully prepared for coping with any war” and the ability to “surely annihilate” its adversaries.

 

According to many observers, once negotiation with Washington restarts, Kim ultimately wants to utilize his stockpile of modernized weapons to extract US concessions, such the lifting of sanctions.

 

The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean officials about boosting the supply of weapons to Moscow for its conflict in Ukraine during a visit to Pyongyang last month, the White House said earlier this month.

 

American assertions that North Korea sent artillery rounds and ammunition to Russia have been refuted by North Korea. However, the North has openly backed Russia in the conflict and made suggestions that it would send labor to assist restore the Ukrainian territory that Russia occupies.

 

Faced with US-led pressure campaigns over its nuclear program and economic challenges brought on by the virus, Kim has been attempting to strengthen relations with China and Russia.