Seoul, Aug 10 (EFE).- North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has urged his army to prepare offensively for a potential war due to the worsening of tension on the peninsula and has asked for the strengthening of the country’s ammunition factories.
An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 06 August 2023 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un holding a weapon during an inspection of major munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea. EFE-EPA FILE/KCNA EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Kim made these appeals Wednesday during a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the North Korean sole party where he “summarized and analyzed the present situation of the Korean peninsula and its vicinity and made an important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations … in an offensive way,” KCNA reported Thursday.
The North Korean dictator said that “to prepare a strong army is the key to implementing the military strategic plan of the Party Central Committee for containing the enemy’s use of military muscle in advance and neutralize all forms of its attack” and called on his country’s armed forces to secure a “more powerful strike means for carrying out the mission of war deterrence and continuously intensifying the work for deploying them in the units for action in a mobile way.”
Kim, realizing that “munitions factories have a very important duty to strengthen” the army, underlined the need for them to “push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment.”
The leader “set forth the goal for the expansion of the weaponry production capacity,” KCNA continued, without providing further details.
In the meeting, North Korea also dismissed its top general, the chief of the General Staff Pak Su-il, and replaced him with Ri Yong-gil, the current defense minister.
It was the fourth gathering of military officials of its kind that Pyongyang has held since February and comes before the United States and South Korea hold their Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises later this month, which North Korea sees as a drill to invade their territory.
Pyongyang seems to be trying to show its military muscle after the unusual attendance of delegations from Russia and China at a prominent military anniversary in the territory and the recent visit by Kim to the main national munitions factories.
Among other topics discussed at the meeting were preparations for a military parade for the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, which falls on Sept. 9. EFE
co-mra/tw
