Kim wants to ramp up production of ‘military nuclear material’
The North Korean leader wants to ramp up production of “military nuclear material” to make more powerful weapons.
Kim Jong Un with his generals.
AFP
North Korea’s No. 1, Kim Jong Un, has called for increased production of “military nuclear materials” and more powerful weapons, the country’s media reported on Tuesday.
This latest threat from Kim Jong Un, which echoes an earlier promise to “exponentially” increase nuclear weapons production, comes just ahead of the expected arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier in South Korea on Tuesday.
Speaking to officials from the country’s nuclear weapons agency, the leader said North Korea must be ready to use its nuclear weapons ‘anywhere at any time’. Official KCNA. He called on the authorities to “develop the production of military nuclear materials for a long time to deeply implement the program of rapid increase of nuclear weapons (…)”. Kim also “encouraged the continued production of powerful nuclear weapons,” KCNA added.
North Korea, “irreversibly” nuclear?
Kim said that while North Korea has “completely” prepared its nuclear weapons systems, “the enemy will fear us and will not challenge the sovereignty of our country, our system and our people.” Last year, North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power and Kim Jong Un recently called for an “exponential” increase in the production of weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons.
In early March, he also ordered his army to intensify its military maneuvers in view of “real war”. North Korea’s military said Tuesday it had conducted a second test of what it purported to be an “underwater nuclear attack drone,” following its first test last week. The new weapon, Hail – which means tsunami in Korean – was launched in response to recent US-South Korean military exercises, which Pyongyang says are the largest in five years.
It maneuvered underwater for “41 hours and 27 minutes following a simulated trajectory of 600 kilometers” before blasting off at a target in northern Hamgyong province early Monday, KCNA reported. According to KCNA, the test “proved all the strategic merits and safety and reliability of the weapon system”. Russia has reportedly developed a similar weapon, the Poseidon nuclear torpedo, but experts say mastering the complex technology required for such a weapon may be beyond North Korea’s reach.
North Korea’s military conducted a live-fire drill on Monday, simulating a nuclear attack using tactical ballistic missiles, KCNA news agency said in a separate statement.
AFP/Elie Courboulay
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