KCNA news agency quoted Mr. Kim Jong Un as saying that the risk of armed confrontation on the Korean Peninsula is quickly becoming a reality due to hostile actions by enemies including the US, requiring the country to "sharpen its precious sword" to defend itself.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with commanders of the Korean People's Army, at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Party, in Pyongyang, North Korea on January 1, 2024. Photo: KCNA
KCNA said Mr Kim made the remarks while hosting senior military leaders on Sunday at the headquarters of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) to congratulate them on their achievements in 2023.
North Korea in 2023 tested its largest ballistic missile and launched its first military reconnaissance satellite, in what Mr. Kim called major advances in modernizing his country's military.
The call to upgrade the country's military readiness follows a pledge made at the end of a five-day WPK meeting that ended on Saturday to boost its nuclear arsenal, build military drones and launch three new spy satellites by 2024.
Mr. Kim's directive came as the US stepped up military exercises with South Korea in 2023, deploying more strategic military assets, including nuclear missile submarines, aircraft carriers and large bombers.
On Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to speed up work on completing the missile defense system and the U.S. extended deterrence system to “fundamentally deter any North Korean nuclear and missile threats.”
In separate reports, KCNA said Mr Kim hosted a banquet and attended a “grand art performance” to celebrate the New Year of 2024 at the May 1 Stadium in Pyongyang, where senior party members, soldiers and members of the diplomatic corps were present.
Mai Anh (according to KCNA, Reuters)
Source
Comment (0)