Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) base in what appears to be a strategic move to showcase North Korea’s capability to strike the U.S. mainland. This action could serve to shift global attention away from the Middle East and back to North Korea’s escalating missile threat.
On Wednesday, North Korea’s state-run media, Rodong Sinmun, and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim inspected the missile base to evaluate its operational readiness. According to Rodong Sinmun, Kim assessed the “functionality and capabilities of launch-related facilities” and the “operational status of strategic missile combat readiness,” emphasizing the direct link between these missile forces and North Korea’s national security.
During his visit, Kim underscored the importance of strategic missile forces as the cornerstone of the country’s deterrence capabilities. “The modernization of our strategic missile forces is a key pillar of our party’s defense construction strategy,” Kim remarked. He also noted that the rising threat posed by U.S. strategic nuclear assets demands North Korea to enhance its deterrence capabilities and maintain a heightened state of readiness.
Kim further stressed the importance of ensuring the missile bases are prepared to respond strategically and swiftly at any time, regardless of variances in modernization levels across different bases. He highlighted the need for North Korea’s missile forces to be ready to launch a counterattack against any adversary.
Accompanying Kim during the inspection were Kim Jong Sik, the first vice-department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee, and Kim Yo Jong, a vice-department director of the Workers’ Party. Although the exact date of the visit was not disclosed, it is believed that the inspection occurred shortly after Kim visited a flood recovery area in Jagang Province on Monday.
Photos released by North Korean state media revealed advanced missile systems, including solid-fuel ICBMs such as the Hwasong-18, which are capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The images also showed intermediate-range hypersonic missiles, which are notably difficult to intercept due to their unpredictable flight paths.
North Korea’s strategic missile arsenal includes the Pukguksong-2 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), which has a range of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers (620 to 1,860 miles); the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which has a range of 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (1,900 to 3,400 miles); and the Hwasong-18 ICBM, which is capable of exceeding 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) in range. The Hwasong-18, in particular, has become a focal point of concern due to its potential to strike targets on the U.S. mainland.
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