North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of new surface-to-sea missiles and warned the country would take a more aggressive military stance in its disputed maritime borders with war-divided rival South Korea, North Korean state media said Thursday.
The report from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency came a day after the South Korean military said it had discovered the North firing multiple cruise missiles into the waters off the eastern port of Wonsan.
The test, the North’s sixth missile launch in 2024, added to a provocative series of weapons demonstrations since 2022 that escalated tensions to their highest point in years.
Some experts say Kim may try to increase pressure in an election year in South Korea and the United States. There are growing concerns in South Korea about a direct military provocation and a potential conflict zone could be Korea’s poorly drawn western maritime border, where several bloody skirmishes have occurred in recent years.
Kim oversaw test launches of the missiles he described as key weapons for his navy. He also accused South Korea of repeatedly violating what he labeled North Korean territorial waters with its maritime patrols and ban on third-party ships.
He ordered his navy to strengthen its defense position in the waters near the South Korean border islands of Baekryeong and Yeonpyeong, where a North Korean artillery bombardment killed four people in 2010.
No matter how many lines exist in the Western Sea of (North Korea) and what is clear is that if the enemy violates what we consider to be our maritime boundary lines, we will perceive that as a violation of our sovereignty and an armed provocation, KCNA paraphrased Kim as he said.
These comments echoed a speech Kim gave in Pyongyang’s parliament on January 15, in which he reiterated that his country does not recognize the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn up by the US-led UN Command at the end of the month . Korean War 1950-53. North Korea is pushing for a border that extends deep into waters currently controlled by South Korea.
Kim told the Supreme People’s Assembly that if South Korea violates even 0.001 mm of our territorial land, air and waters, it will be considered a provocation to war. In the same speech, Kim also stated that the North was abandoning its long-standing goal of reconciliation with the South and reiterated the threat that it would destroy its rival with nuclear weapons if provoked.
KCNA also said Thursday that Kim separately inspected an unidentified ammunition factory, where he gave instructions to increase the quality and quantity of weapons produced. Photos published by state media implied that the facility produces artillery.
The United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells, ballistic missiles and other military equipment to Russia to help prolong the war fighting in Ukraine, possibly in return for economic aid and military assistance aimed at promoting Kim’s armed forces.
Kim has increased the visibility of his ties with Moscow and Beijing in recent months as he seeks to break diplomatic isolation and join a united front against Washington.
Following a separate political conference at the end of the year at which Kim accused South Korea of hostility, North Korea fired hundreds of artillery rounds on three consecutive days in early January near its western maritime border with South Korea. This prompted the South to carry out similar shelling in response. As far as we know, the artillery bombardments caused no casualties or damage on either side.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: February 15, 2024 | 8:41 am IST