2024-01-05 05:23:29
North Korean state media reported today (5th) that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un requested to expand the production of missile launchers in preparation for a “military showdown” with South Korea and the United States.
Kim’s remarks were quoted by North Korea’s state-run Central News Agency (KCNA) shortly following Washington said Russia had used ballistic missiles and launchers provided by North Korea in a series of recent attacks on cities in Ukraine.
Photos from North Korean state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae inspecting a factory that produces Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) vehicles. Kim Jong Un later praised the “motivation to increase production.” This launch vehicle is used to launch banned intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Central News Agency noted that Kim Jong-un told factory employees that it is crucial to increase the production of launch vehicles “because the current severe situation requires more firm preparation for a military showdown with the enemy.”
The report added: “He clearly mentioned the recent plan to produce various types of transport and erect launch vehicles, the long-term production plan and the task of expanding production capacity” to enhance the country’s nuclear war deterrent capabilities.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on the 4th that Russia launched missiles provided by Pyongyang in its two attacks on Ukraine in the past week, with a range of regarding 900 kilometers.
“Our information indicates that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recently provided ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles to Russia,” Kirby told a news conference at the White House.
“This is a significant and concerning escalation in North Korea’s support for Russia,” Kirby added, calling on the U.S. Congress to pass a new batch of vital military aid to Ukraine.
After Kim met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian Far East last September, Washington and Seoul later accused Pyongyang of shipping weapons for Russia to use in Ukraine in exchange for satellite technology.
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