SEOUL: Northern Korean leader Betty Jong Un ordered a strengthening from the country’s defence capabilities as he wrapped up a key meeting with best military officials, state media said on Friday (Jun 24), raising concerns about its possible addition associated with tactical nuclear weapons.
The meeting has been closely watched due to expanding speculation that Pyongyang could conduct its first nuclear test in five yrs, which US plus South Korean authorities have said could take place at “any time” now.
Kim presided within the three-day Enlarged Conference of the 8th Main Military Commission where top officials “approved an important issue associated with providing a military guarantee for further strengthening the country’s war prevention, ” official KCNA media said.
During the meeting, North Korea made a rare mention of revising the war plans, and said it acquired decided to bolster the particular operational duties from the frontline units with “an important military action plan”.
KCNA did not elaborate on the plan, which usually apparently targets South Korea, analysts mentioned.
“North Korea could have added the possible use of technical nuclear weapons in the new operation programs given the use of the term war deterrent which it uses to refer to nuclear capabilities, inch Hong Min, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute with regard to National Unification in Seoul, said.
KCNA on Thurs released a photo of the North’s top authorities in a meeting with a map of exactly what appeared to be the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, where South Korea’s nuclear energy plants are located.
Asked about North Korea’s meeting, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Seoul has been preparing a “firm response” to the North’s activities.
The KCNA report did not directly mention North Korea’s nuclear or ballistic missile programme, but it said Ri Pyong Chol, that has been leading the North’s missile growth, was elected as vice-chairman of the Celebration Central Military Payment.
“Given Ri’s symbolic position within the North’s nuclear development process, the political election demonstrates its can to accelerate the development of strategic and technical weapons, ” the Korea Institute’s Hong said.
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