Seoul, July 3 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited an ammunition factory after the plenary session of the single party, underlining the importance of the national defense industry, which has allegedly exported millions of artillery rounds to Russia, state media said Wednesday.
Kim “visited a defense industry company that plays a key role in boosting the country’s defense capabilities” on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported.
The factory was described as a “model and standard for the country’s industrial architecture” and for “the modernization of production processes” in an article by state news agency KCNA that talks about “automated production lines.”
The plant “is striving to achieve the ammunition production target for this year with enormous enthusiasm, as already demonstrated by the fulfillment of its production plan for the first half of the year,” the text added.
“The level of modernization achieved by our defense industry is a standard and a goal that must be achieved not only by the machinery industrial sector, but also by the rest of the sectors of the economy,” Kim said during the visit.
The location of the plant was not revealed, but analysts said it is one of several located in the mountainous northern province of Chagang, believed to concentrate much of this type of industry, dependent on the so-called Second Economic Committee.
KCNA said the leader visited the factory “as soon as the plenary session ended,” which brought together thousands of Workers’ Party delegates from Friday to Monday.
It was thought the strategic partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia signed just two weeks ago would be debated at the plenary. This is now the basis of a bilateral relationship marked by a strong rapprochement that includes a mutual assistance clause in the event of a military attack.
Although the pact, believed to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Moscow in the arms industry, was not mentioned in the plenary session, at the end of which Kim highlighted the pace of his country’s economic recovery, the ammunition factory visit emphasizes the weight of Pyongyang’s arms sector.
Intelligence from South Korea and the United States says North Korea has transferred millions of artillery rounds to Russia since last year for use in Ukraine, and investigations on the ground have revealed that Moscow has also fired North Korean missiles against Kiev. EFE
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