SEOUL, South Korea (AP) December,28– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled new plans to further build up its military strength next year, state media reported Wednesday.
Kim’s statement came as hostilities with his rival South Korea surged this week, with South Korea accusing North Korea of flying a drone across its border for the first time in five years. North Korea has already conducted a record number of missile tests this year in what experts call an attempt to modernize its arsenal and increase its leverage over future deals with the United States.
In Tuesday’s session at the ruling Labor Party’s ongoing plenary session, Kim analyzed emerging security challenges in international politics and the Korean Peninsula, and the principles of diplomatic relations and fighting enemies to protect national interests and sovereignty. and outlined the direction, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
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Some observers have linked the new targets to Kim Jong-un’s quest to expand his nuclear arsenal and acquire high-tech weapon systems such as multiple warhead missiles, more agile long-range weapons, spy satellites and advanced drones. said it is possible. They say Kim Jong-un will eventually aim to use his increased nuclear arsenal to convince North Korea to accept it as a legal nuclear power. He believes this is essential to lifting international sanctions.
On Monday, the South Korean military fired warning shots and launched fighter jets and helicopters after spotting five North Korean drones violating South Korean airspace.South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said Wednesday, He told parliamentarians that he had flown three drones across the border in response.
The military apologized for not shooting down the drones, and President Yoon Seok-yeol called for stronger air defense systems and high-tech stealth drones to better monitor North Korea.
At a meeting with his advisers on Wednesday, Yoon said South Korea must resolutely retaliate against any provocations by North Korea, which is the most powerful means to deter North Korea. said. Yoon also said South Korea should not be threatened by North Korea’s nuclear weapons, according to spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
Some experts say North Korea’s drone flights may have been designed to test South Korea and the United States’ willingness to reverse previous inter-Korean agreements to ease tensions in frontline areas. I’m here. They say North Korea likely valued drones as a cheap and effective way to create security concerns and internal divisions within South Korea.
Yoon, a Conservative who took office in May, said on Tuesday that South Korea had received little anti-drone training since 2017. He seems to be trying to denounce the supposedly lax air defenses, saying, “I think we, the people, must have realized very well how dangerous good faith and (peace) treaty-based policies are.”
Moon’s liberal opposition party, the Democratic Party, has accused the president of trying to shift the blame. As part of a five-year upgrade plan announced Wednesday, South Korea’s defense ministry said it would push ahead with strengthening its so-called three-axis system — first-strike, missile defense and retaliation capabilities. North Korea’s nuclear threat. To that end, he said, it would procure more stealth fighters and submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles, operate additional interceptor missiles and radars, and develop more powerful precision-guided weapons.
