• Asia North Korea launches new unidentified ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country will launch three more military spy satellites, build more nuclear weapons and introduce unmanned combat equipment in 2024, while calling for a "powerful" war readiness to deal with confrontational actions led by the United States, state media reported on Sunday.

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Kim Jong-un brags that his new spy satellite has photographed the White House

  • Written by: LUCAS DE LA CAL (Asia Correspondent)

Kim Jong-un brags that his new spy satellite has photographed the White House

Kim's comments, speaking at a major Workers' Party meeting to set the state's goals for next year, suggest he will continue a series of weapons tests to expand his arsenal amid a stalemate in diplomatic efforts with the United States. Experts say Kim would expect to use his beefed-up nuclear capability to extract more concessions should diplomacy resume, possibly after the U.S. presidential election in November next year.

During their five-day plenary meeting that ended Saturday, Kim said the measures the U.S. and its supporters have taken this year against North Korea are unprecedented, bringing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of nuclear war, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KNA).

"The defense of the dignity, sovereignty and interests of the state will be guaranteed only by powerful force," Kim said, according to the NCNA, adding that he intends to "maintain the war readiness and practical capability that all enemies fear and with which any enemy anywhere can be preemptively attacked."

Kim laid out plans for the launch of three additional military spy satellites next year, after the country launched its first reconnaissance satellite into orbit last November. He also ordered authorities to continue work on the manufacture of more nuclear weapons and the development of different types of combat equipment, such as drones and electronic devices, the ACNC said.

Kim has focused on modernizing his nuclear and missile arsenal since diplomatic negotiations with then-President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 over differences over international sanctions on North Korea. Since last year, Pyongyang's military has conducted more than 100 missile test launches, many of them nuclear-capable and within range of the U.S. and South Korean mainland, in violation of U.N. restrictions.

The U.S. and South Korea responded by expanding their military maneuvers and deploying U.S. strategic assets such as bombers, aircraft carriers and a nuclear-armed submarine. North Korea calls the measures rehearsals for an invasion.

  • Asia
  • North Korea
  • Kim Jong Un
  • South Korea