{"id":77410,"date":"2023-08-06T15:41:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T15:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/06\/north-korean-leader-tours-weapons-factories-in-face-of-tensions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:46:33","slug":"north-korean-leader-tours-weapons-factories-in-face-of-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/08\/06\/north-korean-leader-tours-weapons-factories-in-face-of-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korean leader tours weapons factories in face of tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEOUL, South Korea \u2014 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured the country\u2019s key weapons factories, including those producing artillery systems and launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and pledged to speed up efforts to advance his military\u2019s arms and war readiness, state media said Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim\u2019s three-day inspections through Saturday came as the United States and South Korea prepared for their next round of combined military exercises planned for later this month to counter the growing North Korean threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in years<\/a> as the pace of North Korea\u2019s missile tests and the joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, which Kim portrays as invasion rehearsals, have both intensified in a tit-for-tat cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts say Kim\u2019s tour of the weapons factories could also be related to possible military cooperation with Moscow that may involve North Korean supplies of artillery and other ammunition as Russian President Vladimir Putin reaches out to other countries for support in the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a visit to an unspecified factory producing large-caliber artillery systems, Kim stressed the facility\u2019s \u201cimportant responsibility and duty\u201d in further boosting his military\u2019s \u201cwar preparations,\u201d North Korea\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim praised the factory\u2019s efforts to employ \u201cscientific and technological measures\u201d to improve the quality of shells, reduce processing times for propellent tubes and increase manufacturing speed. He also urged the factory to move ahead with development and large-scale production of new kinds of ammunition, the KCNA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim echoed the message in visits to two other factories, calling the delivery of launcher trucks designed to transport and fire ballistic missiles \u201ca top priority\u201d for the military and urging for the \u201crapid expansion\u201d of production of more reliable engines for cruise missiles and drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korean photos showed Kim walking past huge launcher trucks designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles which recent tests indicated they could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. Other photos showed Kim firing scoped rifles during a visit to a small arms factory where he said soldiers\u2019 firearms need to be modernized, according to KCNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In
In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, holds a weapon during his three-day inspection from Aug. 3 until Aug. 5, 2023 at major munitions factories in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency\/Korea News Service via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the face of deepening confrontations with Washington and Seoul, Kim has been trying boost the visibility of his partnerships with Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation and insert himself into a united front against the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His tour of the weapons factories comes after a giant military parade last month in North Korea\u2019s capital, Pyongyang, where Kim was joined by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese ruling party official<\/a> while rolling out his most powerful missiles designed to target South Korea and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoigu\u2019s presence at the July 27 parade, which came after Kim took him on a tour of a domestic arms exhibition,<\/a> demonstrated North Korea\u2019s support for Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and added to suspicions the North was willing to supply arms to Russia to support its war efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at South Korea\u2019s Sejong Institute, said Kim\u2019s visits to the factories likely had a dual goal of encouraging the modernization of domestically produced weapons and examining artillery and other supplies that can possibly be exported to Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim\u2019s comments at the artillery factory about improving the quality of shells and the need to develop new types of ammunition, which he described as key to the country\u2019s \u201cnational defense economic work,\u201d clearly communicate an intent for exports to Russia, Cheong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea has been aligning with Russia over the war in Ukraine<\/a>, insisting that the \u201chegemonic policy\u201d of the U.S.-led West forced Moscow to take military action to protect its security interests. But Pyongyang has denied U.S. accusations that it has been providing arms to Russia to aid its fighting in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheong said Kim\u2019s comments at the factory about making missile-launch trucks could indicate that the North is seeing some progress in increasing the production of those vehicles, which would possibly improve the operational range of its ballistic weapons designed to target neighboring rivals and the U.S. mainland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also pledged to speed up efforts to advance his military\u2019s arms and war readiness, state media said 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