Pyongyang [North Korea], November 18: The Korean Central News Agency on November 18 quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as ordering the unlimited strengthening of nuclear power and the completion of preparations for war.
The speech was made at the 4th Conference of Battalion Commanders and Political Commissars of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on November 15, when the leader said that "enemies of the country have intensified their frenzied military confrontations" with North Korea. This is the first time this conference has been held in the past 10 years.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called on military officials to focus on completing war preparations, stressing that North Korea should continue to strengthen its nuclear force to fulfill its war deterrence mission.
"We will strengthen our self-defense power, focusing on nuclear force, unlimitedly, not content (with the current level) and relentlessly," Mr. Kim said.
He said the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan was a "crucial" factor threatening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. "The US-led military alliance has expanded to larger areas including Europe and the Asia-Pacific region," Kim said.
The US, South Korea and Japan have all said that their military moves and activities in the region are aimed at strengthening deterrence and ensuring stability on the Korean peninsula .
In another development, Yonhap news agency reported on November 18 that South Korea has just approved a long-range radar system developed with domestic technology and said the system is suitable for combat use.
The equipment is expected to enhance the ability to monitor aircraft in the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KDIZ). The new system is capable of 24/7 surveillance throughout the KADIZ and transmits data online to the Air Force control center.
Previously, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of South Korea signed an agreement with the country's LIG Nex1 company in February 2021 to develop a long-range radar system and conduct an 18-month assessment of its combat compatibility.
With the development project, South Korea has become one of the few countries, along with the United States, France, Italy and Spain, that can produce long-range radar systems with domestic technology. The new equipment is expected to go into production in 2016 to replace older models.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
