North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for an increase in missile production to help secure "overwhelming military power" and be ready for war, state media KCNA said on Monday, as South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military drills.
Kim gave the order as he visited key munitions factories that produce tactical missiles, missile launch platforms, armoured vehicles and artillery shells on Friday and Saturday.
His field inspection was the latest in a string of visits to arms factories, where he ordered mass production of weapons, and came days before South Korea and the U.S. are to begin annual military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for war.
Kim noted an "important goal to dramatically increase" missile production capacity to meet the needs of the expanded and strengthened frontline military units, KCNA said.
"The qualitative levels of war preparations depend on the development of the munitions industry, and the factory has a tremendous responsibility in accelerating our military's war preparations," he was quoted as saying.
At other plants, Kim inspected and drove a new utility combat armoured vehicle, and praised recent progress in modernizing production lines for large-caliber multiple rocket launcher rounds, KCNA said.
There was a "very urgent need" to "exponentially increase" the production of such rockets to strengthen frontline artillery units, he said.
"Our army must thoroughly secure overwhelming military power and solid readiness to handle any war at any time, so that the enemy does not dare to use force, and would be annihilated if it does," Kim said.
South Korea and the United States said on Monday that they would stage the Ulchi Freedom Guardian summer exercises on Aug. 21-31 to improve their ability to respond to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
North Korea has denounced the allies' military drills as a rehearsal for nuclear war.
This year's drills will be held on the "largest scale ever", mobilizing tens of thousands of troops from both sides, as well as some member states of the U.N. Command, for about 30 field training programs, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"The exercises are an essential element in maintaining robust combined defense posture in case of emergency - absolutely necessary to respond to the growing military threat from North Korea," JCS spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun told a briefing.
The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles.
North Korea and Russia have denied any arms transactions.
The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan are also set to discuss security cooperation over North Korea, Ukraine and other issues when they gather for a trilateral summit on Aug 18 at Camp David.
KCNA separately said on Monday that Kim visited "typhoon-hit areas" after tropical storm Khanun swept over the Korean peninsula last week, flooding farmlands.
© Thomson Reuters 2023.
34 Comments
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Fighto!
How about providing infrastructure, hospitals, medicine, agricultural capabilities and FOOD for your people first, little Rocket Man? You know, the things all responsible governments are supposed to do.
Not important to the despicable Kim dynasty I guess.
餓死鬼
It's nice that Mr. Kim always looks well fed and freshly scrubbed, no matter when or what.
Elvis is here
Hands up who is surprised?
Peter14
So both North Korea and China are telling their militaries to get ready for war. It looks like they are preparing to start something the rest of the world will end up paying for.
I guess the rest of us should also "get ready for war"!
Matt
I like this tieless look Kim is going for in this nice white number. Fashion icon right here
EFD
He’s covering for something.
Could be that he’s ramping up military production for hard currency contracts with Russia.
Could be that he is struggling internally due to economic stagnation and popular discontent (we wouldn’t hear about this till he’s either gone or is truly ganging by a thread).
Could be both.
Point is, SOMETHING is driving. Fat boi’s behavior and it’s not an imaginary Western “threat.”
3RENSHO
My missile is bigger than your missile...
Martimurano
He looks like some obese barrow-boy barking his orders to the surrounding waiters - yeh, I'll have another 15 of those really-big IBM'S, about 4,000 drones, and a side-order of those deadly anti-personnel mines..... that'll keep the people busy for a while, stop them from starving to death.
OssanAmerica
Putin's "Special Military Operation" has gone on longer than expected and is draining resources and supplies. A great opportunity for North Korea.
shogun36
I like how they can make mosaic on some of the people in his pic, but I guess not enough funds to fully mosaic everyone's face.
As if it matters if we see their faces or not.
On the other hand, that is a very clean waiter's jacket he has on. All class.
Harry_Gatto
What do they write in their little notebooks? Every word that he says?
nosuke
Looking koolio Kim make them say “uhh nananah”
finally rich
Also ever noticed how he makes a point of making everyone around hold their little notebooks for the photo op? The guy is always ready to pass his unmatchable wisdom to all the specialists around him.
https://en.yna.co.kr/image/nk
winston
Busy preparing for war like most other countries
He has China for that
And without China defense agreement North Korea wouldn't exist anyway.
Any USA conflict with North Korea means a conflict with both China and Russia.
Any USA conflict with China means conflict with Russia and North Korea
U.S military is spread thin and it's European allies in a shambles
EFD
My guess is that they are doing a Jackie Trees horn from The Big Lebowski.
smithinjapan
Fighto!: "How about providing infrastructure, hospitals, medicine, agricultural capabilities and FOOD for your people first, little Rocket Man? You know, the things all responsible governments are supposed to do."
Oh! You're talking about North Korea! I thought you were talking about Japan maybe providing for social security, infrastructure, understaffed hospitals, agricultural capabilities (instead of subsidizing farmers who don't want to work in a nation 60% reliant on imports), and FOOD that is going up in costs every single day while wages are not, and staff are decreasing due to the aging population! My bad. Instead, while we are paying through the teeth in taxes in Japan, that is all going towards... oops... more missiles. Or at least, more planes and guns, while the government tells us there is not enough for food and they have to increase taxes. Take a look in the mirror, my friend.
餓死鬼
Possibly. I mean, he's probably not someone you want to ask, "Wait, what did you say again?"
This is also a possibility, that they are compiling a Little Red Book of his wisdom, to be preserved for posterity even after His Portliness has shuffled off this mortal coil to the angelic voices of the mouse choir from Babe.
Or he could just be telling them what he wants for second breakfast and elevenses.
Mark
Finally little kim has become a capitalist, he finally figured out how to make money from wars and conflicts like the rest of the G7.
Wandora
Interesting. When I made a similar comment in a recent article about Japanese military expenditure, my post was deleted as 'off-topic'. Is that, like, censorship?
But when Japan does it, it is called 'defence expenditure' and is no problem. Until we get to nuclear ... then suddenly it's all bad.
WA4TKG
I like the rear view mirror, as if you have to be worried about looking behind the thing.
Paul
You need the rear view mirror for reversing really fast when trying to avoid being HIMARSed...
WA4TKG
Here’s what the average Kim on the block in North Korea has on his mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehrPwVyN8lc&t=97s
Mitsuo Matsuyama
While it happens, thousands in North Korea are dying of starvation!
Nibek32
Kim, an obese spoiled child, uses the few resources they have to make more weapons while their population starves to death.
Hercolobus
After all, he has capitalist entrepreneurship just as the US and Europe make these for a profit.
Coulda been
In the main photo he is actually asking his scribes 'how the hell do I get out of this thing?"
Bad Haircut
Why have those two people in the main photo been pixellated? Maybe unpersoned after cracking jokes about Kim getting stuck as he tried to squeeze out of the vehicle?
TaiwanIsNotChina
No thinner than it was in 2000. And what does that say about you that you think it is okay for a country to focus on military while it is receiving handouts? Inb4 invaded country like Ukraine.
ClippetyClop
You're a big man, but you're in bad shape.
deanzaZZR
And this is exactly what the Chinese government has provided to hundreds of millions of Chinese civilians over the past two decades and he's giddy at the thought of dropping a nuke on China.
Some people are forever lost to reason.
kaimycahl
Fatboi is ramping up missile and other military hardware to sell to Russia.
kurisupisu
Try as Mr Kim might, his regime will never be able to produce as many atomic weapons as the US which managed to level Pyongyang in the 20th century with conventional weapons.
EFD
The exfiltration process from that vehicle is to butter his sides and to throw a pork roast in the road.
opheliajadefeldt
Poor likkle Kimmy, the leader of a dying country. Very soon he will have more missiles than people, but then one cannot sell people to fight in wars.......Yet!!!