The construction of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was mandated by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in response to the United States and South Korea. Kim also asked for an “exponential” rise in the manufacturing of nuclear warheads.
A short-range ballistic missile was shot off North Korea’s east coast on New Year’s Day in an unusual late-night weapons test, and hours later Kim made his remark, which was broadcast on state TV.
Speaking on New Year’s Eve on the final day of a six-day plenary session that evaluated 2022, Kim claimed that South Korea had turned into an “undoubted adversary” and that its primary partner, the US, had escalated pressure on the North over the previous year by repeatedly sending its military resources to the Korean Peninsula to the “maximum” level
According to the KCNA report, in retaliation, Kim stated that Pyongyang must mass-build tactical nuclear weapons in the upcoming year while also creating a new ICBM that would provide the North with a “quick counterstrike capability.”
Kim’s remarks come after a year in which his country conducted more missile tests than ever before, including one with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could theoretically target the US mainland.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea claim that on Saturday, the 37th day of North Korea’s missile testing in 2022, the country shot at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a location south of Pyongyang.
“It highlights the importance and necessity of mass producing tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal,” Kim said.
Additionally, he gave the go-ahead for the creation of a brand-new class of ICBM “with a rapid nuclear counterattack capability as its basic mission,” according to KCNA.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff referred to the launch as “a grave provocation” that threatens regional and global peace and security. According to the report, South Korea retains its readiness to respond to any provocations while constantly monitoring North Korean actions in collaboration with the US.
The launch emphasises “the destabilising consequences” of North Korea’s illegal weapons programmes, according to a statement from the US Indo-Pacific Command. It stated that the US vows to defend Japan and South Korea “remain solid.”
