North Korea’s Chairman of the State Council Kim Jong-un reports a business summary at the second day of the 8th Labor Party Congress on the 6th. Pyongyang Labor News = News 1
On the 6th, the second day of the 8th Labor Party Congress, Kim Jong-un, chairman of North Korea’s State Council, brought out’reinforcement of national defense’ and’technology development’. These are keywords related to the development of various strategic weapons. However, it did not directly mention nuclear or specifically disclose the performance of strategic weapons. It is analyzed whether Joe Biden, scheduled for the 20th (local time), was deliberately adjusting the water level ahead of the inauguration of the US administration.
The Labor Newspaper, an agency of the North Korean Labor Party, introduced the schedule for the second day of the party meeting held the day before the 7th, saying, “Transportation, basic construction and building materials industry, communication, commerce, land environment, urban management, foreign economy, and other major sectors and economic management The actual situation was analyzed,” he said. “The targets and action plans for the sectors during the new five-year plan were proposed.” On the second day following the first day, he focused on the economy, the biggest issue.
However, on this day, the issue of national defense was newly emphasized. The Labor newspaper stated, “It reaffirmed the importance of reinforcing the national defense to a higher level to reliably protect the safety of the country and the people and the peaceful environment of socialist construction, and raised the goals for its realization.” He said, “Important tasks to promote the development of science and technology in the country were presented in detail.” This is in the same vein as North Korea’s existing position to continue developing strategic weapons for self-defense. Although it has not been disclosed externally, it is possible that discussions related to nuclear technology or strategic weapons have been made internally. Regarding this, Im-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Far East Research Institute, said, “Unless a peaceful relationship with the United States is established, it seems that he has repeatedly expressed his clear intention that he will not stop the national defense enhancement project.”
The appearance of the new ICBM unveiled on October 10 last year at a fever ceremony held on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Labor Party. It was released in the last order by being loaded on 11 axes (22 wheels) longer than the 9-axis (18 wheels) mobile launch vehicle (TEL) that was loaded on the existing Hwaseong-15. Pyongyang Labor News = News 1
However, North Korea did not disclose specific details about the increase in national defense capabilities. This is different from the trend of recent years. In the opening remarks of the 7th party conference in May 2016, Chairman Kim showed off that “the first hydrogen bomb test and the great success of the launch of Gwangmyeongseong 4, the dignity and national power of Juche Joseon was achieved.” In fact, North Korea successfully launched the’Hwaseong-15′, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach Washington, USA in November 2017, a year and a half later. In October of last year, at the parade ceremony in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the party, the new ICBM (11 axes 22 wheels), which is longer and thicker than the Hwaseong-15 (9 axes, 18 wheels), and the new submarine launch ballistic missile (SLBM),’North Pole-4S. ‘Revealed. “Compared to the 7th Party Congress, which put forward the advancement of nuclear weapons and consolidated (settlement),” said Hong Min, head of the North Korean Institute for National Unification. “It is also stimulating to deal with national defense power in terms of economic development rather than a separate military field. It seems to be the intention to loosen the warlike military agenda.”
Some say that North Korea’s move was conscious of the Biden US administration, which is about to be launched. It means that the military action itself could stimulate the US, so it was intentionally refrained from doing so in consideration of future US-US relations. “There seems to be a possibility of producing a moderate and negotiable external message (in the future) given the mention of strengthening national defense power in terms of creating a’peaceful environment’,” said Mr. Hong.
Seungim Jeong reporter [email protected]
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