SEOUL: North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has called for scaling up the production of weapons-grade nuclear material to grow the country’s arsenal.
According to the state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Kim made these remarks as he inspected the state nuclear weapons programme, including the latest tactical nuclear weapons and technology for mounting warheads on ballistic missiles, and examined nuclear counterattack operation plans.
He was briefed on an IT-based integrated nuclear arm management system called Haekbangashoe, which means “nuclear trigger,” whom accuracy, security and reliability were verified during recent drills simulating a nuclear counterattack, it added.
Production of materials to boost nuclear arsenal
KCNA said Kim Jong Un ordered the production of arms-grade materials in a “far-sighted way” to boost its nuclear arsenal “exponentially” and produce powerful weapons.
He said the enemy of the state nuclear forces is not a specific state or group but “war and nuclear disaster themselves”. The sole goal of the policy of expanding North Korea’s arsenal is defending the country and regional stability and peace.
North Korea has been ramping up army tests, firing short-range ballistic missiles on Monday and conducting a nuclear counterattack simulation the previous week against United States (US) and South Korea, which it accused of rehearsing an invasion with their army exercises.
North Korea’s military simulated a nuclear airburst with two tactical ballistic missiles on Monday’s training, KCNA said in a separate dispatch.
A defence think-tank tested underwater strategic weapons systems on March 25-27, KCNA said.
