North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed strong missiles on Tuesday (12 October) that have been prepared to launch nuclear attacks on the US mainland and he also vowed to build an “invincible” arsenal to deal with what he called relentless US hostility.
Kim also used his address at a rare showcase of weapons systems on Monday to underscore that his military strength isn’t aimed at South Korea and that there shouldn’t be another conflict pitting Korean people against one other, in an apparent attempt to draw a wedge between Washington and Seoul.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim said on Monday that “The US has frequently signaled it’s not hostile to our state, but there is no action-based evidence to make us believe that they are not hostile. The US is continuing to create tensions in the region with its wrong judgments and actions.”
Kim claimed his country’s most important goal is to have an “invincible military strength” that no one can question, calling the US a “source” of instability on the Korean Peninsula.
According to Seoul officials, the show, which was supposed to commemorate the ruling Workers’ Party’s 76th birthday on Sunday, was the first of its sort since Kim gained control in late 2011. Kim, dressed in a dark suit, was photographed walking down a red carpet lined with large missiles mounted on trucks, passing by a multiple rocket launch system, and watching jets fly in formation in North Korea.
According to experts, the show featured a variety of freshly developed weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that North Korea has already test-fired or displayed during military parades in recent years.
According to Yang Wook, a military analyst at South Korea’s Hannam University, the weaponry in the photographs includes what looks to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile that North Korea announced during a military parade last year but has yet to be tested. During the parade, the North’s biggest-yet ICBM was installed on an 11-axel launch vehicle.
Other weapons on display were:
- Another ICBM that North Korea tested in 2017.
- Ballistic missiles that can be fired from submarines or a train.
- Solid-fueled, short-range missiles.
- A developmental hypersonic missile.
Yang said, “Basically, North Korea wants to send this message: ‘We’ll continue to develop new weapons and arm ourselves with nuclear force, so don’t slap sanctions with these as we can’t agree on the double standards.’”
North Korea has delivered contradictory messages to its adversaries in recent weeks, resuming missile testing after a six-month break while also offering conditional talks with South Korea.
During his display address, Kim criticized South Korea for hypocrisy, claiming that it condemns North Korea’s weapons development as provocative while investing lavishly in its own military capabilities. Nonetheless, he stated that his military does not target South Korea.
Kim said, “I say once again that South Korea isn’t the one that our military forces have to fight against. Surely, we aren’t strengthening our defense capability because of South Korea. We shouldn’t repeat a horrible history of compatriots using force against each other.”
According to some observers, North Korea is attempting to leverage South Korea’s desire to repair relations with the US to persuade the US to ease sanctions and make other concessions.
North Korea has long sought improved relations with the US to obtain sanctions relief and a more secure environment in which to focus on restoring its stagnant economy. The high-stakes negotiations between the two countries collapsed in early 2019 after the US rejected North Korea’s demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for partial disarmament efforts.
The US has recently made several offers to meet with North Korea “anywhere and at any time” with no preconditions. Kim has described such an offer as a “shrewd” ploy by the US to hide its animosity toward North Korea because he wants Washington to reduce sanctions or pause regular military drills with Seoul before the negotiations can resume.
North Korea conducted three ICBM tests in 2017 and claimed to have developed the capability to launch nuclear missiles targeting the US mainland. The expert, Lee, questioned the North’s assertion, saying it must undertake many more flight tests to prove it has mastered the last remaining technological challenges, such as safeguarding a warhead from tremendous heat and pressure after re-entering the atmosphere.
