North Korea will strengthen its nuclear arsenal, its head of diplomacy said this Friday in Moscow, while Pyongyang is suspected of requesting Russian technologies in exchange for its military support for the Russian army in the conflict in Ukraine.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “clearly indicated (Thursday) that the current situation […] obliges us more than ever to strengthen our modern offensive strategic nuclear weapons, as well as to improve our nuclear response capacity, and I once again affirm that our country will in no case change the course of strengthening its nuclear arsenal”declared, according to a Russian translation, the minister Choe Son Huiduring a meeting with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
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She further accused the United States and South Korea of developing a “alliance with a nuclear component”judging that the “situation could become explosive at any time on the Korean peninsula”.
Hwasong-19
Russia and North Korea have grown significantly closer since Vladimir Poutine launched an attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the two countries having notably concluded a mutual defense agreement during the Russian president's visit to Pyongyang in June. North Korea has been suspected for many months of supplying Russia with large quantities of shells as well as missiles. Now it would also provide thousands of troops to fight in the conflict with Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied the arrival of these troops, which according to the West are about to be deployed on the battlefield.
Pyongyang is also suspected by the West of asking in exchange for this support for technologies that will help it strengthen its nuclear arsenal, in particular its ballistic missiles. The North Korea also carried out a test of its Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday. This test was supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who “expressed his great satisfaction” after the successful launch of the missile, according to the North Korean state agency KCNA.
