This picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesd-ay shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with scientists and technicians working in the field of nuclear weapons at an undisclosed location. — AFP
This picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesd-ay shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with scientists and technicians working in the field of nuclear weapons at an undisclosed location. — AFP
North Korean leader Kim Jon-g-un on Wednesday said the country has miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles and ordered improvements in the power and precision of its arsenal.
Mr Kim has called for his military to be prepared to mount pre-emptive attacks against the US and South Korea and stand ready to use nuclear weapons, stepping up belligerent rhetoric after coming under new UN and bilateral sanctions for its nuclear and rocket tests.
Mr Kim’s comments, released on Wednesday, were his first direct me-ntion of the claim, to have successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead. “The nuclear warheads have been standardised to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturising them,” KCNA quoted Mr Kim as saying as he inspected the work of nuclear scientists, adding “this can be called a true nuclear deterrent”.
According to photographs reviewed by Reuters, North Korea is using Chinese-made trucks in a new mobile artillery system showcased five days ago.
In photographs published by North Korean state media, the vehicle used in the MRLS artillery battery has the bodywork and some markings of a Chinese-made Sinotruk HOWO truck.
China’s foreign ministry, asked about the trucks, said the government has consistently followed UN resolutions. “China will strengthen its strict controls,” spokesman Hong Lei said.
Meanwhile, a US artillery brigade based in the South heated things up, launching a barrage of rockets in Rocket Valley, near the border town of Cheorwon, on Wednesday.
The live-fire drills came hours after a report by reclusive North Korea that it had miniaturised nuclear warheads to be mounted on ballistic missiles.
The drills in Rocket Valley were separate to the annual joint US-South Korean maneuvers which involve about 17,000 US troops and more than 3,00,000 South Koreans.
