North Korea's Kim Jong Un has announced a more practical and offensive approach to strengthen the country's war deterrence. Reuters reported that the move is to counter the US and South Korean aggression.
North Korea is angry due to the series of the allies' joint military exercises, which has forced Pyongyang to explore a more powerful, practical action that includes military options.
Kim Jong Un Urges to Reinforce Troops
The North Korean president wants further reinforcement of the country's war deterrence more quickly. During the Central Military Commission meeting that was held early this week, practical matters and measures for machinery were also discussed to prepare various military action proposals that no means and ways of counteraction will be available to the enemy.
The US and South Korea have conducted their annual springtime exercises since March involving air and sea drills. Their drills involve a US aircraft carrier and B-1B and B-52 bombers. It also involved their first large-scale amphibious landing drills in five years.
On the other hand, North Korea also conducted military activities in the past weeks. The activities unsolved new, smaller nuclear warheads and testing a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone. It also involved firing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking anywhere in the US.
Seoul Calls Pyongyang 'Irresponsible'
Seoul's Kwon Young-se, the unification minister in charge of handling cross-border affairs, expressed regret over Pyongyang not responding on inter-Korean hotlines since last week. The two Koreas operate border hotlines to prevent unexpected incidents. However, the North has usually refused to receive messages or daily check-in calls from the South when relations are strained, and Kwon Young-se deems the act irresponsible.
Kwon also denounced the North for using their assets left at a joint factory park, which the North unilaterally shut in 2016 without approval with the pledge to explore measures to hold it accountable.
South Korea and the US senior defense officials also held their annual Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Washington. The discussions involved joint responses to the North's nuclear and missile threats and the different ways of improving the American nuclear umbrella's execution.
Kim Jong Un has ordered the development of new, more powerful nuclear weapons and missiles, raising concerns that Pyongyang could stage further provocations. This comes after Kim Jong Un called for strengthening North Korea's "practical, offensive" war deterrence, indicating that the country is not backing down from its aggressive stance.
Analysts believe North Korea may be planning to test a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or conduct another nuclear test, violating international sanctions and escalating tensions with the United States and its allies.
The possibility of further provocations from North Korea has raised concerns in the international community, with many countries calling for diplomatic efforts to address the issue. However, with North Korea continuing to develop its nuclear weapons program, it is unclear whether diplomatic efforts will successfully prevent further escalation.