According to AP, this action comes shortly before the commencement of the annual joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, exercises that North Korea perceives as practice for an invasion.

Kim’s efforts to increase weapons production coincide with U.S. officials’ suspicions that Russia’s defence minister engaged in discussions with North Korea regarding the potential sale of additional weaponry to support Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim inspected facilities responsible for manufacturing tactical missiles, mobile launch systems, armoured vehicles, and artillery ammunition over the course of Friday and Saturday.

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During a stop at the missile factory, Kim set a goal to “drastically boost” production capacity so the facility can mass produce missiles to meet the needs of frontline military units, KCNA said.

“The qualitative level of war preparations depends on the development of the munitions industry and the factory bears a very important responsibility in speeding up the war preparations of the (North) Korean People’s Army,” Kim said, according to the report.

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Visiting other factories, Kim called for building more modern missile launch trucks and said there is an urgent need to boost production of large-caliber multiple rocket launcher shells “at an exponential rate,” the report said. Kim also drove a new utility combat armored vehicle, KCNA said.

After his diplomatic efforts with former US President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019, Kim has directed his attention towards expanding his nuclear and missile stockpiles. Since the beginning of 2022, Kim’s military forces have carried out over 100 missile trials, frequently citing concerns about the increasing scale of joint military drills conducted by the US and South Korea as a reason for these tests.

North Korea could perform more weapons tests soon as the US and South Korea are set to start their summer military exercises later this month. North Korea calls the US-South Korean training practice for an invasion. The allies say they have no intentions of attacking North Korea.

KCNA quoted Kim as saying North Korea must have “an overwhelming military force and get fully prepared for coping with any war” with the power to “surely annihilate” its enemies.

Numerous experts believe that Kim’s ultimate objective is to leverage his upgraded arsenal of weapons to secure concessions from the United States, such as the lifting of sanctions, once diplomatic negotiations are resumed with Washington.

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In recent weeks, the US government revealed that its intelligence agencies had concluded that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu engaged in discussions with North Korean representatives during a visit to Pyongyang the previous month. The talks reportedly centered on boosting the trade of weaponry to support Moscow’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

While North Korea has refuted assertions from the US about delivering artillery shells and ammunition to Russia, the country has openly expressed its backing for Russia in the ongoing war and indicated the possibility of sending laborers to assist in the reconstruction of areas in Ukraine that are under Russian control.

In response to pressure campaigns led by the United States regarding its nuclear program and economic challenges stemming from the pandemic, Kim has been working to strengthen relations with China and Russia.

(With inputs from AP)

Updated: 14 Aug 2023, 06:50 AM IST