North Korea’s state media reported Monday that Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the launch of multiple long-range cruise missiles, a test the regime says was designed to reinforce its ability to deliver nuclear strikes. The report framed the exercise as part of Pyongyang’s broader effort to demonstrate the readiness of its strategic forces.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim expressed approval of the missile drill. “The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed great satisfaction,” KCNA stated, “saying that the result of the launching drill is a practical verification and clear demonstration of the absolute reliability and combat readiness of our strategic counterattack capability.”
KCNA further said Kim emphasized that the test was required to ensure “the reliability… of the components of the DPRK’s [North Korea’s] nuclear deterrent,” arguing that the country was “facing various security threats” that made such demonstrations necessary.
South Korea confirmed the activity shortly afterward. Yonhap News Agency reported that authorities detected “the launch of multiple missiles from the Sunan area near Pyongyang at around 8 a.m. the previous day [Sunday],” noting that the missiles flew over the Yellow Sea.
Seoul responded with pointed criticism. Yonhap quoted a South Korean government official, spokesperson Chung Binna, urging Pyongyang to change course. “North Korea should respond to South Korea’s efforts to resume dialogue that are being made in good faith to promote peace and coexistence on the peninsula and join efforts to maintain the stable situation,” Chung said.
The missile test followed another high-profile appearance by Kim, this time at a shipyard where North Korea claims it is building what it calls “an 8,700-tonnage nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine.” KCNA said Kim “guided” the project “on the spot,” despite no public evidence that he has technical expertise in nuclear submarine construction.
State media praised the workers involved, reporting that they went “all out in the glorious struggle for implementing the WPK’s [Workers’ Party of Korea] policy of modernizing the navy” by “pushing ahead with the building of a strategic nuclear attack submarine.”
KCNA added that the workforce greeted Kim with “inexhaustible patriotic enthusiasm,” while Kim asserted that the country’s nuclear forces — described as “the super-powerful offensive capability” — represented “the best shield for national security in developing the armed forces.”
Kim was also quoted as saying, “The strategic nuclear attack submarine to be considered as an important component of the nuclear war deterrent will constitute the greatest immortal feats of the working class, defense scientists and technicians, the driving force of the DPRK, for the times and history.”
KCNA announced the submarine project on Christmas Day. The timing was notable, given Pyongyang’s history with the holiday. Once known as the “Jerusalem of the East” because of its large Christian community, North Korea outlawed Christianity under Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, mandating worship of the ruling family instead. Today, possessing a Bible is illegal, and Christians face severe punishment, including torture and death, if discovered.
Kim’s visit to the submarine site also came days after the United States and South Korea confirmed the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Busan. Chosun Ilbo reported that the USS Greenville docked there on December 23, marking the first such visit during the Lee Jae-myung administration.
North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense sharply condemned the deployment in a statement released Wednesday. “The repeated emergence of the U.S. strategic asset 46 days after the entry of the nuclear carrier George Washington strike group belonging to the U.S. Seventh Fleet into the ROK on November 7 constitutes a grave act of causing instability and escalating military tensions in the Korean peninsula and the region,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said.
The statement continued with another warning: “This is a warning that the U.S. is getting closer to the critical level in its attempt to gain strategic advantage in the region by making its military alliance with the ROK [South Korea] more surely evolve into a nuclear confrontation bloc sharing its nuclear weapons.”
It concluded with a defiant message from Pyongyang. “The DPRK remains unchanged in its practical will to strongly propel the development of the defense capabilities for ensuring its prospective interests and defending security at present and in the future.” The statement added, “Nothing will change no matter how frequently the U.S. brings its nuclear submarine to highlight the visibility of its nuclear attack forces.”
Despite shifts in leadership and policy in Seoul, including efforts by President Lee Jae-myung to pursue engagement, North Korea has continued to emphasize military development as a core element of its national strategy, keeping nuclear deterrence at the center of its messaging to the region and beyond.
{Matzav.com}
