North Korean leader Kim calls for war readiness while inspecting construction of warships
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected the construction of new warships
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected the construction of new warships at an eastern shipyard, calling such projects crucial to the country’s war preparations, state media said Friday.
His visit to the shipyard in Nampho followed a series of weapons demonstrations in January that furthered increased tensions with rivals, including tests of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines.
Kim in recent months has been emphasizing his goals of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation to cope with Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency did not specify when Kim visited Nampho. It paraphrased Kim as saying that the strengthening of his naval force “presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the country and stepping up the war preparations.”
