NKorean Leader Vows to Advance his Arms and his War Readiness

An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 06 August 2023 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a weapon during an inspection of major munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea.  EPA/KCNA
An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 06 August 2023 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a weapon during an inspection of major munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea. EPA/KCNA
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NKorean Leader Vows to Advance his Arms and his War Readiness

An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 06 August 2023 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a weapon during an inspection of major munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea.  EPA/KCNA
An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 06 August 2023 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a weapon during an inspection of major munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea. EPA/KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured the country’s key weapons factories, including those producing artillery systems and launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and pledged to speed up efforts to advance his military’s arms and war readiness, state media said Sunday.

Kim’s three-day inspections through Saturday came as the United States and South Korea prepared for their next round of combined military exercises planned for later this month to counter the growing North Korean threat.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in years as the pace of North Korea’s missile tests and the joint US-South Korea military drills, which Kim portrays as invasion rehearsals, have both intensified in a tit-for-tat cycle.

Some experts say Kim’s tour of the weapons factories could also be related to possible military cooperation with Moscow that may involve North Korean supplies of artillery and other ammunition as Russian President Vladimir Putin reaches out to other countries for support in the war in Ukraine. Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said Friday that Kim's staged visits to the arms factories are possibly aimed at both demonstrating North Korea's military might in the face of US-South Korean drills and also communicating an intent to export weapons.

“We express deep regret that North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) as well as conventional weapons at the expense of the wellbeing of its citizens,” Koo said during a briefing.

During a visit to an unspecified factory producing large-caliber artillery systems, Kim stressed the facility’s “important responsibility and duty” in further boosting his military’s “war preparations,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

Kim praised the factory’s efforts to employ “scientific and technological measures” to improve the quality of shells, reduce processing times for propellent tubes and increase manufacturing speed. He also urged the factory to move ahead with development and large-scale production of new kinds of ammunition, the KCNA said.



Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-winger kept at arms length by Washington under former President Joe Biden, will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington next Wednesday, Smotrich's spokesman said on Thursday.

Smotrich went to Washington in March 2023 to meet with leaders of Israel's US-based government bonds program but did not meet any officials from Biden's administration.

The pro-settler Smotrich had clashed with Biden officials, including then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, over aid and banking arrangements for the Palestinian territories.

Smotrich has praised President Donald Trump, including over a decision to lift sanctions imposed under Biden against Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.