North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the increased production of missiles as he toured plants making weapons to strike America’s allies, just ahead of a summit among the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the US this week.
Kim gave field guidance over the weekend at factories making missiles, launchers, armored vehicles and munitions, the state’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. It was his second such visit in about a week, placing a spotlight on the security threat posed by his country as the Biden administration seeks help from Seoul and Tokyo to deter the North Korean leader’s atomic ambitions.
“He set forth an important goal to drastically boost the existing missile production capacity,” KCNA said, adding that he called on workers to step up production to aid in front-line defenses and strategic weapons systems.
Kim placed an emphasis on production of what are known as transporter erector launchers. These mobile systems designed to hold nuclear-capable missiles have been a choke point for North Korea. The more TELs it can roll out, the greater the number of missiles it can fire in a first strike, or retaliatory strike on South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of US military personnel in the region. Intercontinental ballistic missiles on massive TELs could also target the American mainland.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden plan to discuss practical cooperation measures to jointly respond to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats when they meet at Camp David on Friday, Kim Tae-hyo, a South Korean National Security Council official, told reporters Sunday.
The three countries have increased information sharing on North Korean missile launches to better track rockets and are looking to boost joint military drills among the three, Kyodo News of Japan reported last week. The US and Japan are expected to announce an agreement to jointly develop missile interceptors for hypersonic weapons during the meeting, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing several people in government.
The US and South Korea will start Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills a few days after the summit. North Korea has bristled for decades at the exercises and Kim in recent years has conducted weapons tests to coincide with drills.
“These are the things that Kim Jong Un hates the most,” Moon Seong Mook, a former general in South Korea’s military, said of the drills and summit. Moon, now with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, added Kim may respond strongly.
Kim’s regime has been firing off missiles at a blazing pace since the start of last year and may seek to rattle the meeting with a military provocation. The US has also raised concern that cash-strapped North Korea is supplying weapons to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine.
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In his visits this month Kim toured plants making munitions, including multiple rocket launchers. The Kremlin’s war machine has been burning through these rockets at a high pace and North Korea has systems that are interoperable with Soviet-era weaponry Putin’s forces have deployed in Ukraine.
--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.