North Korea Promises More Spy Satellites in 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to launch three additional spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and introduce attack drones in 2024, as he called for "overwhelming" war readiness to cope with US-led aggression, state media reported on December 31.
Kim's comments suggest he'll increase weapons tests ahead of the US presidential elections in November.
Observers say Kim believes a boosted nuclear capability would give him another chance for diplomacy with the US to win sanctions relief if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House.
During a five-day meeting that ended Saturday, Kim said anti-North Korea moves by the United States and its followers "have reached the extremes unprecedented in history," pushing the Korean Peninsula to the edge of a nuclear war, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim spoke of the expansion of US-South Korean military exercises and the temporary movement of powerful US military assets such as bombers and a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea — the steps the allies have taken in response to the North's many weapons tests since last year.
Kim introduced plans to launch three more spy satellites next year in addition to the country's first spy satellite launched in November. He said the country needed to establish "a reliable foundation" to build more nuclear weapons. Kim also ordered authorities to enhance submarine capabilities and develop various types of military equipment such as armed drones.
South Korea's Unification Ministry responded by strongly condemning North Korea for pushing to advance its nuclear program and displaying hostility toward its neighbors. A statement said South Korea will try to prevent North Korean threats based on a solid alliance with the United States.
Some analysts have suggested that limited clashes between the Koreas along their tense border could happen in the coming year. South Korea's spy agency has said that North Korea will likely launch military provocations and cyberattacks ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections in April and the US presidential election in November.
