N. Korea's Kim calls for 'drastic boost' of missile production capacity

This photo, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, Aug. 14, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un driving an armored vehicle while visiting an arms factory last week. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for a "drastic boost" of the country's missile production capacity, the North's state media said Monday, ahead of a key joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States next week.

Kim made the remarks during a two-day visit to major factories that produce tactical missiles and rocket launchers Friday and Saturday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The visit came less than a week after the North Korean leader conducted a three-day "field guidance" of major munitions factories as South Korea and the United States plan to hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which Pyongyang has denounced as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North.

This year's combined military exercise, scheduled for Aug. 21-31, will feature various contingency drills, such as the computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and Ulchi civil defense drills.

This photo, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, Aug. 14, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, visiting an arms factory last week. Yonhap

It also came just days after Kim presided over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, calling for preparing for a possible war in an "offensive" manner by modernizing munitions factories and mass-producing weapons.

S. Korea, US to stage key military drills next week amid NK threats 2023-08-14 11:09  |  Defense
"He set forth an important goal to drastically boost the existing missile production capacity... so as to mass-produce missiles as required by the system of the expanded and strengthened frontline units and missile units and by the operational plans," the KCNA said.

Kim was also quoted as saying that the North's Korean People's Army (KPA) should be equipped with an "overwhelming military force" for "coping with any war at any moment so as to prevent the enemies from daring use their armed forces, and surely annihilate them if they launch an attack."

Such a "qualitative level of war preparations" hinges on the development of the munitions industry, Kim said, again highlighting the role of the arms factories in "speeding up the war preparations" of the KPA, according to the KCNA.

During his visit to a factory producing tactical missile transporter erector launchers (TELs), Kim called for the production of "more modern and highly efficient TELs substantially conducive to the army's perfect war preparations," it said.

Photos released by state media show Kim driving what the North called a "newly-developed utility combat armored vehicle" during his visit to one of the factories.

This photo, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, Aug. 14, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, visiting an arms factory last week. Yonhap

Another photo showed Kim speaking to officials in front of a propaganda banner reading, "Let's sweep away the South Korean puppets," in an apparent message of provocation targeting the South.

North Korea has been ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula while bolstering its military cooperation with Russia and China in the face of growing trilateral security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

The reclusive state's invitation of a Russian military delegation last month to mark the 70th armistice anniversary of the Korean War, which included a tour of an arms exhibition, further stoked speculation that the North may seek to export arms to Russia for use in Moscow's war with Kyiv.

In response to Kim's first inspection of munitions factories earlier this month, South Korea's unification ministry said the visit appears to have had "multiple" purposes ― flaunting its military achievements, responding to the South Korea-U.S. military drills and seeking arms exports. (Yonhap)