Kim Jong Un Orders Drastic Increase in Weapon Production Amidst Impending Military Drills
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made another inspection tour of major munitions factories, issuing orders to dramatically escalate the production of missiles and other weapons, according to state media on Monday. This comes just days before South Korea and the United States commence their annual military drills, which North Korea perceives as a rehearsal for invasion.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim visited factories responsible for producing tactical missiles, mobile launch platforms, armored vehicles, and artillery shells on Friday and Saturday. During his visit to the missile factory, Kim expressed the goal of significantly increasing production capacity, allowing for mass production to meet the demands of frontline military units.
According to the report, Kim emphasized the crucial role of the factory in expediting war preparations and stated, “The qualitative level of war preparations depends on the development of the munitions industry, and the factory bears a very important responsibility.”
Additionally, Kim called for the construction of more modern missile launch trucks and stressed the urgent need to exponentially boost the production of large-caliber multiple rocket launcher shells. The report also revealed that Kim personally test-drove a new utility combat armored vehicle.
This recent push for weapon production aligns with Kim’s focus on expanding North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenals since the breakdown of his diplomatic efforts with former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019. Since the start of 2022, Kim’s military has conducted over 100 missile tests, many of which were intended as warnings to the U.S. and South Korea regarding their joint military exercises.
With the summer military exercises scheduled to commence later this month, North Korea may perform more weapons tests. While North Korea perceives the U.S.-South Korean training as preparation for an invasion, the allies maintain their lack of intentions to attack North Korea.
Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying that North Korea must possess “an overwhelming military force and get fully prepared for coping with any war,” with the power to “surely annihilate” its enemies. Many experts believe that Kim’s ultimate goal is to leverage his modernized weapons arsenals to secure U.S. concessions, such as sanctions relief, when diplomatic negotiations resume with Washington.
Earlier this month, the White House announced that U.S. intelligence officials had determined that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had engaged in discussions with North Korean officials during his visit to Pyongyang last month, regarding the increased sale of munitions to Moscow for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
While North Korea has denied allegations that it has supplied artillery shells and ammunition to Russia, the country has openly supported Russia’s actions in the war and hinted at sending workers to aid in the reconstruction of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
Kim has been actively seeking to strengthen ties with China and Russia in response to pressure campaigns led by the United States, which target its nuclear program and pandemic-related economic difficulties.