Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is calling for an “exponential increase” of his country’s nuclear weapons arsenal in response to what he claims are threats from South Korea and the United States, state media in Pyongyang reported on Sunday.
Kim’s comments come as North Korea twice over the weekend tested a large nuclear-capable multiple-launch missile system that could put all of South Korea within range, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). ).
Speaking on New Year’s Eve on the final day of a six-day plenary session that covered 2022, Kim said South Korea had become “an unmistakable enemy” and its main ally, the United States, had increased pressure on the North to “maximum”. level over the past year by frequently deploying its military assets to the Korean Peninsula.
In response, Kim said in the coming year that Pyongyang must mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons while developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would give the North “the ability to strike quickly,” according to a KCNA report.
Kim’s comments come at the end of a year in which his regime has tested more missiles than ever in North Korean history, including an ICBM that could theoretically hit the US mainland.
On Saturday, the 37th day of missile testing in 2022, North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a site south of Pyongyang, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This early Sunday was followed by another test. North Korea said both Saturday and Sunday tests involved a 600mm multiple launch rocket (MRL) system. Most multi-rocket launch systems used around the world are around 300 mm in size.
The 600mm MRL was first introduced three years ago, with production ramped up from late October 2022 for implementation, Kim said in his plenary speech on Saturday, according to KCNA. He later added that an additional 30 of the 600mm MRLs would be simultaneously deployed to the military.
Kim said the weapon is capable of crossing high terrain, can strike in succession with precision, has all of South Korea within its range, and can be loaded with tactical nuclear warheads, according to the KCNA report.
“Perspectively, as a key offensive weapon of our armed forces, it will perform its own combat mission to defeat the enemy,” Kim said.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Pyongyang had used the past year to demonstrate its ability to launch a range of military attacks.
“Recent missile launches have not been technically impressive. Instead, a large number of tests conducted at unusual times and from different locations show that North Korea can launch different types of attacks at any time and from many directions,” Easley said.
Easley also noted that North Korea is not only using missiles to increase military pressure on the South. Last week, Pyongyang deployed five drones into South Korean airspace, forcing Seoul to send fighter jets and helicopters to track them and later send its own drones into North Korean airspace.
According to Easley, all this leads to an escalation of tensions.
“Such provocations, including drone incursions, appear to be excessive for deterrence and may be intended to scare South Korea into adopting a more lenient policy. But as Kim renounces diplomacy and threatens to mass-produce nuclear weapons, the Yoon administration is likely to further enhance South Korea’s defense capabilities and readiness,” Easley said.
For its part, South Korea is also strengthening its forces.
Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced last month that it would spend more than $2.7 billion over 10 years to bolster the mission capability and survivability of its fleet of F-15K fighter jets that will play a key role in any possible attack on the North. Korea.
Washington does not stand still either. In addition to deploying assets such as F-22 fighters and B-1 bombers for exercises around the Korean peninsula, the U.S. military recently activated its first Space Force command on foreign soil in South Korea, and the unit’s new commander said he was ready to face any threat in the region.
The new unit “will be tasked with coordinating space operations and services such as missile warning, positional navigation and timing, and satellite communications in the region,” according to US Forces Korea.
Even before Kim’s final remarks, experts noted the big strides Pyongyang had made in its missile forces over the past year.
Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN in mid-December that Pyongyang had become a missile power.
When did slavery end in North Korea?
“The bigger picture is that North Korea is literally turning into a preeminent large-scale missile force operator,” Panda said. “The word test is no longer appropriate to talk about most of the missiles launched by North Korea.”
“Most of the missiles they have fired this year have been military exercises. They are preparing for a nuclear war. Read also : United States of America-Republic of Korea Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation G. I think that’s the big picture of this year,” said Panda.
When did slavery end in Japan?
Korea had the longest unbroken chain of slavery of any society in history, spanning approximately 1,500 years, due to its long history of peaceful transition and stable societies. The slave population fell to 1.5% by 1858. Slavery was legally abolished in 1895, but continued until 1930.
Are North Koreans allowed to fly?
Which country was the last to abolish slavery? In 1981, Mauritania was the last country in the world to abolish slavery. Read also : USINDOPACOM statement on unsafe interception of US aircraft over South China Sea. Although slavery is technically illegal, after being criminalized for the first time in 2007 and again in 2015, abolition is rarely enforced.
Japan had an official slave system from the Yamato period (3rd century CE) until its abolition by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590.
Why can’t North Korean citizens travel?
In short – yes, they can, but only with the necessary permission. While waiting for a train to Pyongyang at Dandong Station or a plane from Beijing, you will meet hundreds of traveling North Koreans. Who are these travelers and where are they going?
What countries do not require a passport?
Can North Koreans travel to the US? But most of all, people cannot immigrate from North Korea to the United States. “They should have checked if there was North Korean immigration before they banned it,” said John Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University in Seoul. “Why are you forbidding something that doesn’t exist?”
- Physical isolation. North Koreans cannot leave their country without government permission. North Koreans who try to leave the country illegally and are caught can face serious consequences, including torture, forced labor and life imprisonment in a political prisoner of war camp.
- Where can I travel without a passport?
- The best places to travel without a US passport.
- Puerto Rico.
- US Virgin Islands.
- Northern Mariana Islands.
- American Samoa.
- Guam.
Canada.
Can I go to the Bahamas without a passport?
Mexico.
What country can a US citizen travel to without a passport?
Which Caribbean countries do not require a passport? For Americans, this includes Puerto Rico and the three main U.S. Virgin Islands territories (St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix).
