Seoul, South Korea.- North Korea marked the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units in a ceremony where ruler Kim Jong Un called for continued expansion of his military’s nuclear program to counter perceived threats from the United States, state media reported Monday.
Concerns about Kim’s nuclear program have grown as he has demonstrated an intent to deploy battlefield nuclear weapons along the border between the two Koreas and has authorized his military to respond with preemptive nuclear strikes if it believes the government is threatened. The North’s government-run Korean Central News Agency said the launchers had just been produced by the country’s munitions factories and are designed to fire tactical ballistic missiles, a term describing systems capable of delivering lower-yield nuclear weapons.
Kim said at Sunday’s event in Pyongyang that the new launchers would give his frontline units “overwhelming” firepower over South Korea and make the operation of tactical nuclear weapons more practical and efficient. Photos released by state media showed rows of military missile trucks filling a wide street at the event, which included fireworks and was apparently attended by thousands of spectators.
North Korea has been expanding its range of short-range, portable weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea’s missile defenses, while also seeking to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland.
Kim’s increasingly frequent weapons tests and threats are widely seen as an attempt to pressure Washington to accept the idea that North Korea is a nuclear power and end U.S.-led sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear program. The North Korean government may also try to escalate tensions in a U.S. election year, experts say.
#North #Korea #marks #delivery #nuclearcapable #missile #launchers #frontline #units
