SEOUL (AP) — North Korean President Kim Jong-Un has visited major arms factories in the country, including those that produce artillery systems and nuclear-capable ballistic missile launch vehicles, and announced he will accelerate efforts to improve the armament and combat readiness of its army, the state press reported on Sunday.
Kim conducted the inspections for three days until Saturday as the United States and South Korea make preparations for their next round of joint military drills, scheduled for this month, to deal with the growing North Korean threat.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in years due to the intensifying pace of both North Korean missile tests and US-South Korean military drills — which Kim describes as as invasion rehearsals—in what constitutes a permanent cycle of reciprocal actions.
Some experts say Kim’s visit to arms factories could also be linked to possible military cooperation with Moscow that could include North Korean supplies of artillery and other munitions as Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned to other countries for support for the war in Ukraine.
During his visit to an unspecified factory that produces large-caliber artillery systems, Kim stressed the “important responsibilities and tasks” of Pyongyang’s “war readiness improvement” facility, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. Korean News (KCNA).
Kim praised the factory’s efforts to apply “scientific and technological measures” to improve projectile quality, reduce propellant tube processing time and increase manufacturing speed, but also cited the need to develop and produce new types of artillery shells, according to the KCNA.
